


The Binding (Formerly: The Binding of Hermione)

by rayvyn2k



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Mental Instability, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Potions, SnapeLives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:58:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 74,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7110334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayvyn2k/pseuds/rayvyn2k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the War, Hermione Granger goes back to Hogwarts for her delayed Seventh Year. Draco becomes dangerously obsessed with her, but Severus Snape is watching over everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Back to Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> This is my original story "The Binding of Hermione", almost completely rewritten to be mostly canon compliant except that Snape doesn't die, of course. The rating and warnings are for upcoming chapters. I also intend to finally finish the damned thing. After about ten years. 
> 
> *edit 3/12/18* Well, it's nearly done and I'm going through and making sure it all makes sense as we get to the end. Minor tweaks here and there.

Hermione gripped Crookshanks' carrier firmly as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. Her return to the school for her delayed seventh year was not without mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was eager to complete her education and sit her N.E.W.T.s. Well, she was eager for the N.E.W.T. part, anyway. On the other, the War had changed everything and everyone she knew. Including herself.

Ron and she had enjoyed a brief fling after the end of the war. But, like many relationships that begin with intense experiences (why did that quote from "Speed" always seem to pop into her head when she thought about Ron?), it fizzled when day-to-day reality set in. In the end, they decided they did better as friends so they, and many of the other surviving witches and wizards, joined in the effort to repair Hogwarts castle and its grounds.

They had all worked for the last year and it still wasn't complete. In May, with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick's help, she had brought her parents back from Australia and their memories had been restored. Hermione had spent the last few months in the bosom of her family, which had been lovely, but when the letter came from Hogwarts inviting her back for her Seventh year, she had been ready to return.

Hermione found an empty compartment and stowed Crooks' carrier before she seated herself and took out her well-worn copy of "Hogwarts-A History". The tome remained opened and unread on her lap as her thoughts continued. 

_Ron and I didn't have enough in common to sustain anything long term. Ron hadn't even considered returning to school for Seventh year. After he was recruited by the Chudley Cannons, he hadn't considered anything else._

He had left for training camp a month ago and was, by all reports, doing well enough to be second string keeper on the team. Not bad for a rookie. Hermione was happy for him.

At twenty years old, and a war veteran, Hermione wasn't sure how she was going to feel at school anymore. Luckily, the Headmistress had wisely offered a private room to all of the students who returned to complete their Seventh year. Hermione was relieved she didn't have to share space with anyone else. Like many other people who had seen and done terrible things during the War, she sometimes had trouble sleeping or, if she did sleep--she had horrible nightmares. She was grateful for the Headmistress' consideration. 

"Hey, Hermione!" 

She looked up to find Harry, Ginny and Luna grinning at her from the door to the compartment. "Hi, yourselves! Don't stand there blocking the aisle, come in and sit down."

Harry rolled his eyes as he sank onto the seat across from her, pulling Ginny down beside him with a gentle tug of their joined hands. "Please tell me you're not Prefect again this year."

"No." Hermione replied as she budged over so Luna could sit beside her. "Headmistress McGonagall offered the position to me, but I turned it down. I just want to work hard, take my N.E.W.T.s, and then…I've decided that I want to study potions and go for a Master designation."

"Really? Wow, I assumed that you would go for Arithmancy or something." Ginny said.

"I'm not a bit surprised," Luna interjected. "I'm sure loads of people are rethinking their life goals these days."

Hermione smiled at Luna. "Exactly. I intend to apply for an apprenticeship with—"

She was interrupted when Draco Malfoy, shadowed as ever by Gregory Goyle, appeared in the compartment doorway. 

Hermione noticed that Draco's familiar smirk was firmly in place, even though his grey eyes seemed bruised underneath. She wondered idly if he suffered from nightmares, too. After everything Voldemort had put him through? Undoubtedly. And he hadn't been among the volunteers who had spent the past year helping with the ongoing repairs to the castle and grounds. Hermione had found that her work in helping to heal the castle had helped begin to heal her spirit, too. Only time would take care of the rest.

Her musing was interrupted by a low wolf whistle and she focused on Draco's now lascivious face. His gaze was focused considerably south of her face. 

As if she hadn't had enough of such leering attention from Muggle men in London over the summer. She sighed inwardly.

"Well, well, well, Granger." Something in his voice sent a chill through her. "You've certainly had a growth spurt since the last time we saw each other, haven't you?" He licked his lips suggestively. "Nice tits."

Harry leaped to his feet and whipped out his wand. "You keep a civil tongue in your head, Malfoy! Don't make me regret saving your pathetic life. Twice."

Draco's grey eyes lingered on Hermione's breasts a moment longer, and then he raised them to meet her angry brown ones. "And my mother saved yours, Potter, so in my book that makes us even. Besides, you've got a girlfriend and I heard that Granger here finally had the good sense to throw over that red-headed twit. So she's free to make up her own mind about such things."

"I saved your life _twice_ , Malfoy. And you still owe me. Your mum doesn't have anything to do with your life debts." Harry snarled.

Hermione's face was hot and she knew it was red. She continued to meet Malfoy’s gaze as she drew her own wand and pointed it at him. "Harry, I can take care of myself, thank you. Draco, you're right. I am free to make up my own mind. Always have been, even when I was still seeing Ron. So, I'm telling you right now: I am not interested in you. Get out of here, and leave me alone in the future. Unless you would like to repeat your brief existence as a ferret…? Because my magic had a growth spurt over the last year, as well."

Malfoy’s eyes narrowed and his face twisted into a sneer. His hand slid down the front of his trousers to caress his cock. "When you're ready for a real man, Granger, owl me." He turned and left the compartment, with Goyle following behind him.

"Since when is prat a synonym for 'real man'?" Luna wondered.

"That little prick." Harry growled as he put his wand away. "I thought he was transferring to Beauxbatons?"

"The story that the Malfoys put about is that they decided to let him finish at Hogwarts." Luna said. "But Father has it from reliable sources that Beauxbatons wouldn't take him."

"Is forcing Draco back to Hogwarts the right thing to do?" Hermione was horrified. "That just seems cruel. He's bound to be an outcast there, don't you think? Even among the Slytherins? He's always been so popular, a leader…he was Prefect during Fifth year and was always the star of their Quidditch team."

"No Quidditch for us remedial Seventh Years." Harry shoved his wand back into his pocket. "A bit unfair if you asked me."

"You can come watch me play." Ginny said.

"If Beauxbatons wouldn't take him," Hermione continued. "Why didn't his parents send him to Durmstrang?"

"Father's source said that his mother didn't want him that far away." Luna's voice became softer. "Besides, Durmstrang would have been even worse, don't you think?"

"If he's an outcast, it serves him right for everything he did." Harry was still scowling at the door of their compartment.

"Harry, you know how it feels to be shunned." Hermione returned her wand to its holster and sat down. "Would you honestly wish that on anyone?"

"Not _anyone_. Just Malfoy." 

"I thought you had changed, Harry. Looks like I was right." Hermione opened her well-thumbed copy of "Hogwarts-A History". There was no point in wasting her breath.

~~~***~~~

Severus Snape watched as the combined Slytherin and Gryffindor seventh years entered the classroom, retrieved their cauldrons and brought them to their tables. It was two weeks before Halloween and it had been an interesting term thus far. There was still hostility between the older Seventh year students from the two houses; even though, officially, Hogwarts no longer required the students to be seated during meals in the Great Hall according to House affiliation. The older Seventh years, the actual Seventh years and the Sixth years however, most of them veterans or victims of the War, were following the lead of Potter and Malfoy who were having no part of the new scheme.

And, even more fascinating to him, some of the turmoil between Potter and Malfoy was due to Miss Hermione Granger. He allowed himself the briefest glance in her direction. Snape had to admit, since the beginning of the term, he had become subtly protective of Granger. After all, it was because of her actions that he was still alive, and he owed her. If she hadn't returned to the Shrieking Shack with the Blood-Replenishing and Essence of Dittany potions and a Healer, he would be entombed beside Dumbledore right now. While he'd been in the hospital, Ms. Granger had sent him a few letters and gifts of chocolate by owl and had even visited him once, to thank him for his work during the War. The only other people to do so had been Potter and Minerva.

After he'd returned to Hogwarts to finish his convalescence, the Headmistress updated him on the castle repairs over tea one afternoon. One of the most fascinating stories was about Hermione Granger. It seemed that she had very nearly sacrificed her magical ability for the castle. 

One afternoon in late May, Potter had found her in a bit of rubble. She was delirious and nearly unconscious. He had forced the young witch to confess the reason she was so determined to sacrifice herself to rebuild Hogwarts. 

Snape glanced at Granger again, astounded by the fact that she had modified her parents' memories and had them relocated to Australia when the War began. Tricky bit of magic, that. So tricky she had been unable to reverse the spell herself, so she had used the castle repair to assuage her guilt. 

Potter had then engaged the help of both McGonagall and Flitwick, who fetched her parents back from Melbourne, assisted with the spell reversal and had even performed an Obliviate or two. Then Minerva sent Hermione home. The young witch spent the last few months before the start of the new term in the healing embrace of her family. 

The result of that loving care was the healthy, lovely witch stirring a cauldron in his classroom. Two years ago, Snape would have wagered any amount against the gangling Miss Granger becoming such a fetching creature. He shook himself mentally and dragged his mind away from that very dangerous path.

Malfoy, true to form, had taken every opportunity to make crude and often indecent remarks to her, just loud enough to wind up Potter. With predictably explosive results. It had gotten so bad; Snape had been forced to give multiple detentions to both young men. After several evenings spent scrubbing cauldrons, Malfoy mostly contented himself with casting long, lecherous looks at Miss Granger's breasts. The only thing Potter could do about it was scowl. The young woman herself had taken the high road; studiously ignoring both of them in favor of concentrating on her studies. Snape was impressed. In spite of so much provocation, she had become the best potions student in the class. And with one exception, the best in the school.

Snape's gaze, and his thoughts, turned back to Draco. Damn and blast! As far back as July, Snape had warned Lucius not to send Draco back to Hogwarts. And he was being proven right. Daily. The other students, with the exception of Goyle, Parkinson and recently his Potions partner, Iris Ichabod, avoided him outside of the classroom. He and the other older Seventh years were not permitted on the Quidditch teams any longer, so that physical and emotional outlet was denied the young wizard as well. To be honest, Severus felt a bit sorry for the lad. He'd tried to reach out to him once or twice, but Draco didn't trust him and brushed him off. 

Like so many of his peers, the last two years had changed Draco immeasurably. Outwardly, he appeared to be his usual, preening, arrogant self. However, spending that year before the Dark Lord's defeat with his family out of favor had changed the young wizard in ways that worried Snape. He had a few suspicions about what had happened while Lucius was in prison, but no proof. It hadn't helped that Narcissa had kept the lad in France with her during the last year while the rebuilding continued on Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. She'd hoped a bit of fun on the French Riviera would help her son forget the physical and mental abuse he had suffered at the hands of the Death Eaters. Snape sighed. That scheme had been a dismal failure. Before 1997, Draco was merely spoiled. Now, in 1999, he was exhibiting compulsive behavior, hostility, impulsivity, and irritability when he wasn't completely detached. In fact, according to Lucius, the only thing keeping Draco in school was his father's grip on the purse-strings.

In his latest letter, Lucius had written that Draco had hinted that he was planning something—but he hadn't said more than that. Severus had reassured Malfoy that he would keep an eye on his son at school as much as possible. Since Draco had a room in the Slytherin dungeon, and Snape was Head of Slytherin House, it was relatively easy to keep track of him most of the time. Snape knew from the reports he received from the portraits that Draco wasn't sleeping much. Not only was he entertaining guests in his room late at night, the young wizard had slipped out of the castle several times in recent weeks. 

Snape figured Draco's late night trips outside of the castle had something to do with the potions ingredients he'd discovered missing from his private stores more than once this year. Many of those ingredients could be used to brew a basic Sleeping Draught, but Snape hadn't figured out yet why anyone would want some of the other things that had turned up missing. Draco had become more proficient at Occlumency, but even without it, Snape was convinced that the young wizard was the culprit. Once Snape started warding his storage room, the thievery stopped and Draco's nocturnal excursions began. Not everything that had turned up missing could be found on the grounds, but if one had enough money, anything could be bought along Knockturn Alley. 

Snape knew he walked a fine line with Draco. If he discovered that Snape was sending regular reports to his father, he would redouble his efforts at secrecy. With Draco's new obsession with Hermione Granger, Snape could not allow that to happen. 

His musing was interrupted when he noticed Malfoy running the tip of his tongue suggestively across his lips as he very obviously stared at Miss Granger's breasts. Her face was pink, but she kept her eyes on her cauldron, stirring the potion she was brewing with care. Snape doubted anyone else would notice the stiffness of her back or the whiteness of her knuckles as they gripped the stirring rod, which clearly communicated her distress to him. He glided silently across the floor until he was behind the young wizard. 

"Mr. Malfoy." Draco jumped, startled, and Snape smirked inwardly. "I daresay you will find your own potion as fascinating as Miss Granger's."

"Yes, Professor." 

Snape ignored the sulky tone. With a swirl of his robes, he continued his patrol of the room. Thank Merlin this was the last class of the week. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, so most of the students would be abandoning the castle tomorrow, leaving him in blissful peace.

~~~***~~~

Draco stalked out of Potions with Iris trailing behind him. He spotted Goyle lounging against the wall across from the classroom along with Pansy and joined them. "You guys get to the Great Hall. I'll be there in a few minutes."

They moved off and Draco's gaze flickered across the faces of the other milling students until it landed on Granger. She walked past him, with Potter by her side, as usual. Once again, he had no chance to get her alone. And he very much wanted to get her alone. The problem with staring at Granger's fabulous tits during Potions class was that he often became aroused himself. Today, his cock was so hard beneath his robes, he knew he had to take care of it before he went down to the Great Hall or dinner would be very uncomfortable, indeed. A wank would have to do until later. He growled in frustration and made his way into to the nearest loo. He checked under the stalls to make sure that he was alone, and then he locked the door with a thought before slamming into the closest stall. He opened his robes, unzipped his trousers and released his aching cock. Draco took himself in hand and closed his eyes as he began to stroke it. He imagined Hermione Granger spread naked before him, begging him to fuck her. 

"Since you beg so nicely, my Mudblood whore, yes, I'll fuck you." His hand moved faster and harder along the semen slicked rod. "You're going to take all of my cock and like it." He growled between gritted teeth. "Oh yes, you will. I will to give it to you...as hard and fast as I please…in all of your holes. I'm looking forward to hearing you beg me for it tomorrow. I've waited long enough—I will have you as one of my chosen companions. My own little Mudblood whore to do with as I please...whenever I please...oh, I'm going to fuck your throat and then your cunt...YEEEESSS." 

Draco came hard, spilling his seed into the toilet, and then he collapsed against the wall of the stall, light-headed. Once his breathing returned to normal, he muttered a cleansing charm, tucked himself back in and zipped his trousers. He stood, straightened his robes, flushed the toilet, and then stepped out of the stall. As he washed his hands, he met his gaze in the mirror. 

"Yes, I will add that Mudblood slut to my merry band. This weekend in Hogsmeade. Once I deliver my little surprise, I will have her company and her potion brewing skills to use in my service. Guaranteed." He smirked at himself in the mirror. "She'll never be able to say no to me again." He smoothed his hair, and then turned with a swish of his robes and left the bathroom.

After the door closed behind Draco, Severus Snape exited the far stall, moved to the basin and washed and dried his own hands. He had recently been using this bathroom under a Disillusionment spell, in the hope that he would discover something about the plan that Lucius had alluded to in his letter. And it seemed that he had, but what the hell was Malfoy prattling on about? The 'Mudblood' was obviously Granger. But how on earth did he expect to "have her as one of his chosen companions", whatever the hell that meant? What "surprise" could he "deliver" that would "guarantee" anything? He didn’t dare cast the Imperious curse in Hogsmeade. How else…? 

Snape paled as the penny dropped.

A potion. Draco was going to give a dark potion to Hermione Granger.


	2. The Binding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco executes his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: This chapter contains coercion via illicit potion for purposes of Non-Consensual sex, and attempted rape. 
> 
> Severus comes to the rescue.

As Hermione strolled down the sun-drenched street in Hogsmeade, the tension of the last few weeks gradually fell away. No one paid much attention to her and she'd never been so happy to be part of a crowd. If she was honest with herself, she was beginning to have serious doubts about her decision to return to Hogwarts. Between Draco Malfoy's crude attention and Harry's over-protectiveness, she felt both threatened and suffocated. 

She had come to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ginny, and she spent every moment of their journey to town trying to convince Harry that she didn't need looking after, thank you very much. She finally pointed out that he was paying more attention to her than to his girlfriend which hit him like a stunner. Her revelation had won the argument for her and forced him to take Ginny to the re-opened Florean Fortescue's. Hermione made her escape with a comment about going to the bookstore.

She regretted nothing. 

And not only did Hermione have no plans for the bookstore, there were none for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes or any other of the usual student diversions that Hogsmeade had to offer. Instead, she made her way to the Hog’s Head Inn. It was the perfect place for a little peace and quiet. Hermione went inside and nearly changed her mind about staying when the goat-like smell of the place hit her. She breathed through her mouth for a minute while her eyes became accustomed to the darkness and then approached the bar. Aberforth Dumbledore scowled at her as she conjured a glass. 

"Firewhiskey, please." 

The barman raised an eyebrow. "You seem to have taken a wrong turn, missy."

Hermione raised an eyebrow of her own. "I am exactly where I choose to be." She was of age, damn it, and would order Firewhiskey if she liked. She placed a Galleon on the bar and raised her chin. 

"Never took you for a fool, girl." Aberforth gave in with bad grace, pocketed the money and filled her glass. 

Hermione found a table in a darkened corner at the back of the bar that faced the door. After a silent 'Scourgify', she sat down and sipped her drink. 

And came to understand why it was called Firewhiskey. It burned all the way down and her eyes watered, but once it hit her stomach, Hermione felt its pleasant warmth spread through her. She took another sip which went down easier. 

_Damn, Draco Malfoy, anyway. If he doesn't leave off, I'm going to have to give up on taking the N.E.W.T.s and leave school. I don't need this kind of bother._ She had briefly considered going to the headmistress, but Hermione hated to trouble her with something so insignificant as her little Malfoy problem. She knew that McGonagall was still overseeing the last of the castle repairs on top of running the school. No, she had handled Draco Malfoy in the past and Hermione was sure she could handle him again—even if that meant not handling him at all by leaving Hogwarts. 

She was startled from her thoughts when Pansy Parkinson and Iris Ichabod sat down on either side of her. Shit. She knew they hadn't come in the door, so they must have been here already. But...where?

"Hermione Granger, isn't the Three Broomsticks more your style?" Pansy asked.

"Not when you don’t want company, it's not." Hermione replied with a pointed look at the other witches. 

"I understand that feeling," Iris murmured. "Anyway, it's nice to see you outside of school, Hermione."

Hermione wasn’t so sure about that sentiment. In spite of her best intentions, she was suspicious of the sudden friendliness, of Pansy in particular. 

"Thanks." She hoped her brusque manner would communicate her desire to be left alone.

Pansy leaned back against her chair. "I saw you leave the castle with Potter and the Weasley girl—"

"Ginny." Iris provided.

"Yes, Ginny." Pansy glanced around the bar before focusing on Hermione again. "Aren't they with you?"

"The last time I saw them, they were eating ice cream and gazing into each others' eyes."

"I never get to go out for ice cream. All the wizards I know only want to talk about Quidditch." Pansy sighed. "Sometimes I just want to shove their brooms right up their arses."

Hermione smirked in spite of herself. "I understand that sentiment." She felt a bit light-headed and decided that if Iris and Pansy didn't leave soon, she would finish this glass and be off herself. Muggle London had many distractions and it would be easy to find solitude there. But for now, it wouldn't hurt to be cordial. "When Harry and Ginny start talking brooms, my eyes glaze over."

"Too right." Pansy smirked. "I'm glad Draco isn't eligible for Quidditch this year. Have you finished? No? Well I'll get Iris and me something and a refill for you, shall I?" Before Hermione could object, she rose and went over to the bar. 

Damn and blast.

Hermione made small talk with Iris as she kept an eye on Pansy. Mad-Eye Moody's admonition to never eat or drink anything from a known enemy echoed in her head, so she watched the drinks from the bar to the table. She wasn't going to drink anything else, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious. 

"Cheers." Pansy said, raising her glass.

"Cheers." Hermione took a rather larger swallow of her drink and nearly choked. Ugh, that was bad. She thought she was getting used to the taste--apparently not. Scratch Firewhiskey off the list. Except, wow, that last sip seemed to go straight to her head. Perhaps that was the reason it was the drink of choice for most wizards? She drank again, in a hurry to finish and get away from the other girls who were now prattling on about the latest fashions. As she gazed into her nearly empty glass, her mind came back to a single thought: Why are they being nice? Pansy had never been anything but awful to her. And she found it hard to believe that these particular Slytherins were on board with the whole intra-house friendship campaign. 

She was startled out of her reverie when Pansy moved close and whispered into her ear. 

"You know, Hermione. I really am very angry with you."

Hermione turned her head toward the other witch and the room seemed to tilt. Pansy's face lost focus and Hermione's stomach clenched with fear. She froze to try to stop the room from spinning and concentrated on focusing her vision. "How come?"

"Because Draco doesn't talk about anything but you anymore."

Hermione scoffed. "I have no interest in him. You don't have anything to worry about. And, for your information, I told him so to his face. He's nothing but a little pointy-faced ferret in my opinion." Shit, she just called Pansy's boyfriend a ferret. "No offense."

Pansy’s smile was tight. "None taken. But that doesn't solve the problem."

Hermione's head continued to spin. She thought she would signal Aberforth, but she couldn’t seem to move her arms. Her vision was getting darker and she had to actively fight to remain conscious. Keep talking. "What more can I do? I've told him, and now I'm telling you. I'm not interested in Draco. And there's an end to it. No problem."

"Actually it is a problem, but I have an idea—a way to make his infatuation with you a thing of the past."

Darkness was closing in and Hermione was becoming frightened. Can't let it show. Keep talking. "Really? Fantastic. I'm really tired of the way he treats me. What is it?"

Pansy cocked her head. "Hermione, you don't look very well, how much have you had?" She lowered her voice. "No matter. I've got a room here for the night. Why don't you let us take you upstairs and when you've slept it off, I'll tell you my plan—get your input."

Hermione knew that that was a very bad idea. But she didn't seem to have control of herself any longer. The look that passed between Pansy and Iris was the last thing Hermione saw before she lost consciousness.

A pair of glittering black eyes watched as Pansy and Iris helped Hermione up the staircase.

~~~***~~~

" _Ennervate_."

Hermione opened her eyes and found herself looking at a very dirty ceiling. Where the hell was she? The last thing she remembered was talking to Pansy…oh shit. Iris must have spiked her drink while she was keeping an eye on Pansy. Damn and blast.

"Hello, Hermie." Pansy’s face came into view. "Hope you're comfy."

Hermione tried to sit up and couldn't. With growing horror, she realized she had been stripped of her clothing and tied, spread-eagle, to a bed. Oh fuck. This was bad. 

"What is going on?" She asked conversationally, hiding her growing horror.

Pansy reached out and stroked Hermione's nipple until it peaked. "We are going to break a spell."

"What spell?" Hermione's brain was still foggy. In the back of her mind, it registered that Pansy wasn't wearing any clothing either. And her eyes seemed unfocused and glassy. 

"The spell you’ve cast over my boyfriend."

Hermione struggled and the magical bonds tightened automatically, holding her in place. "For the last time—I haven't cast a spell on him. I. Am. Not. Interested. In. Draco. Malfoy. I can't make it any plainer than that. Now, let me go." She opened her mouth to scream and discovered that her voice was nothing more than a whisper. "Help!"

A chuckle from the other side of the room made her blood run cold. "Now, now, Granger, none of that." Draco said. "I do love casting Silence spells, don't you? Ah, I see that you've discovered that my magical bonds don't respond to 'Finite Incantatem'." He rose and took Pansy's place next to the bed. As he slowly looked her over, the expression in his grey eyes caused her to blush fiery red. "Yes, Granger, your tits are as lovely as I imagined. Also, I must disagree with you. You have cast a very strong spell over me. Fortunately, I am going to return the favor today." 

He lowered his head to hers, grabbed her chin and kissed her hard. Hermione tried to move her head away, but he held her fast, plunging his tongue into her mouth. She bit down hard and tasted blood.

"Bitch!" He slapped her and her head swam again. He grabbed her face, and forced her to look at him. "I am going to fuck you before this day is over, Granger. And there's nothing you can do about it. You might as well relax and enjoy yourself."

Terror filled her. Hot tears she couldn't control made her vision swim. She whispered. "Please don’t do this…you know I don't want this..." 

He reached over, cupped her breast, and teased the nipple with his thumb. "You are under the misconception that you have a choice. Let me disabuse you of that idea. It's not about what you want. It's about what I want, Granger. I've decided that from now on, I will find a way get what I want. Honestly, did you really think you had a choice? That is so amusing."

"...it's rape."

"I've done worse. Merlin's balls, you've got great tits." He bent over her and took a nipple into his mouth while he caressed the other. He indulged himself for a few moments before he released her and straightened with an ugly smile. "Listen well, Granger. Once I'm finished, you'll never have a choice again when I desire you. Observe." He continued to look at Hermione as he opened his arms. "Ladies? Come. Serve me."

Pansy and Iris, who was naked and had the same unfocused, glassy-eyed expression as Pansy, tucked themselves against either side of him. Pansy wrapped her arms around Draco and kissed him. She smoothed her hand across his chest and teased his nipples to tautness as she rubbed her body against his right side. Iris sank to her knees, reached inside his robe and began to suck his cock. Draco slapped Pansy's ass hard, pulled her to him and returned her kiss. He bit her lip when he was finished, drawing blood, then shoved her away. He took Iris' head into his hands and fucked her throat until she gagged. The whole time he was abusing Iris, he smirked at Hermione. "Soon, Granger, it will be you on your knees with my cock down your throat." He pushed Iris away, and stepped back. 

"Sorry, ladies, I'm saving myself for Granger." Draco chuckled. "Besides, you both know what I want to see."

Iris wrapped her arms around Pansy and pulled her into an open-mouthed kiss. As they continued to snog, they stroked and caressed each other. Iris broke the kiss and moved to Pansy's nipple. As she sucked, she smoothed her hand down the other witch's stomach and teased her pussy with her fingers. 

Pansy groaned, opened her eyes and attempted to focus on the blond wizard. "Draco, I want you to fuck me, please."

Draco’s smile was haughty. "You know the rules, Pans. It's not what you want that matters." 

He moved over to a large wing-back chair and sat down. He unfastened his robe and let it fall open, exposing his naked body underneath. He ran a hand luxuriantly across his chest and down his stomach to grip his semi-erect cock. "Right now, I want you and Iris to prepare the Mudblood for her initiation." 

Hermione panicked and fought the bonds as Pansy moved to one side of the bed and Iris went around to the other. The only result was that the restraints tightened and held her body still. She heard herself whimper in terror. 

Pansy picked up a vial from the nightstand. She grabbed a fistful of Hermione's hair to hold her head still, and then nodded to Iris who pinched Hermione's nostrils closed. Hermione held her breath as long as she could, knowing it was useless. When she finally gasped for air, Pansy poured the potion into her mouth and then held it closed. Hermione had no choice but to swallow. Once she had, the other witches released her and watched passively as she coughed and gagged and gasped for air. 

"I think you'll come to agree that that potion will make things easier for you, Hermie." Pansy cooed. 

"Don't call me 'Hermie'." Her whispered demand elicited nothing more than a laugh.

Hermione began to feel the effects of the potion immediately. Her nipples hardened and started to tingle. Between her legs an aching warmth began followed by a musky dampness. Her skin quivered with the need to be touched. To her growing horror, she realized that they had given her an aphrodisia potion. She tried not to give in to the sensations, but it was no use. Her self-control had been stripped from her. She closed her eyes and tears she couldn't stop streamed down the sides of her face.

"Ladies, may I present...our initiate." Draco said with pride. "It seems the preparation has upset her. Do make her feel better, won't you?" 

Iris leaned over and brushed her lips against Hermione's left nipple, flicking out her tongue to tease the firm peak before taking it into her mouth. Pansy captured the right nipple and began to suckle. The twin sensations caused Hermione to groan. She arched her back. Her body begged for more while her mind and lips whispered "no-no-no". 

Iris trailed her hand down Hermione’s stomach until she found the warm, damp curls. She slipped a finger into her slit and stroked, tickled and teased her clitoris.

"Oh, God…oh, God…please stop." Hermione’s head whipped back and forth while her hips arched into Iris' hand, as her body continued to betray her mind. 

"Iris." Draco’s voice was hoarse but firm. "I want you to eat Hermione's cunt—but don't let her come. Make her good and ready for me. Pansy, get over here. It's your turn to suck my cock." 

Iris positioned herself between Hermione's legs, spread her pussy open and took a long taste. She teased with slow, wicked flicks, everywhere but the place Hermione's body wanted it most. At the same time, Iris slipped two fingers into Hermione's pussy and finger fucked her. Hermione moaned and arched her hips--her body no longer her own--while her mind watched in impotent horror, unable to do anything about the physical craving for more pleasure, more, more, more.

Pansy knelt in front of Draco and took his cock into her mouth. "Yes, that's it," Draco hissed. "Keep it slow and easy. Tease me. I shan't come either until I make the Mudblood part of our little family."

Iris continued to torment Hermione with her tongue. Hermione felt fingers not only in her pussy, but probing into her arse as well. When it slipped inside, she lost all power of cohesive thought and became a moaning, brazen sexual nerve. She bucked her hips as much as she was able and begged for release. "Please, please, please..."

"Don't you dare let her come, Iris. Remember, I don't need Crucio to put your ass in St. Mungo's."

Iris removed her tongue and blew softly on the heated flesh while she continued to finger-fuck Hermione's pussy with one hand and her ass with the other. 

Hermione was aflame with lust. The twin sensations spiraled through her, the pleasure building then ebbing then building again until she said, in a whisper that looked like a shriek, "Oh for Merlin's sake, Draco, please, please…let me come!"

Draco grinned in triumph. He had turned the stuck up bitch Granger into his Mudblood whore. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to come into Pansy’s hot mouth. It was time to make the Mudblood's condition permanent. He would have Granger whenever he pleased, just as he had Pansy and Iris. As soon as he fucked her to orgasm, the spell would be complete and she would be bound to him. The day he'd stumbled on the recipe for the binding potion in Snape's dark potions book had been good. But, discovering the scroll in his father's secret library with the aphrodisia recipe—that was the luckiest day of his life. His idea to combine them into one ultimate potion was nothing short of genius. It had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams with Pansy and Iris and now, Granger. 

After he was finished with her, this arrogant little Mudblood would feel his desire for her, even when they were apart, and would not be able to refuse him. And, since it worked so well for this purpose—Draco smiled. He was sure with the right tweaking, he would be able to control anyone. 

Draco withdrew from Pansy's mouth, rose and threw off his robe. His erection stood proudly pulsing against his white body and he stroked it absently. "All right, Iris." He said. "You and Pansy may finish each other off while I take care of the Mudblood whore."

Iris slid out from between Hermione's legs and moved over to embrace Pansy, who had stretched out on the rug in front of the fireplace. 

Draco turned his attention to Granger and smiled in satisfaction. He reveled in her arousal as the evidence of his power over her. Her pink nipples were swollen, peaked and hard. Her pussy quivered, wide open and wet. This moment was worth every moment he'd had to wait. He met her heated gaze and preened as her eyes fell to his engorged penis. She arched her hips, straining toward him. 

"Please, Draco." She begged with a hoarse whisper. "If I don't come soon, I'll go mad!" 

Draco chuckled as he put one knee on the end of the bed. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words from you, my little Mudblood whore. Don't worry; I intend to fuck you until you come, screaming..." 

He was interrupted by a crack of Apparition. 

Shit! He never thought to set any wards… 

Draco froze and looked over his shoulder.

Professor Snape was standing with his wand pointing directly at him.

~~~***~~~

"Explain yourself, Mr. Malfoy." Snape's voice was low and dangerous, his hold on his temper; fragile.

"Just having a bit of fun with the Mu—er—the girls, Professor."

Snape's lip curled into a sneer. "Your own little dark revel, is that it? Reliving the 'glory days' of the Dark Lord's stay at the Manor?" At the edge of his vision, he noticed Pansy and Iris scrambling for their clothing.

"You could say that. Perhaps you'd like to join us?" 

Fury flashed across Snape, as hot as Fiendfyre. "Mr. Malfoy, you are no longer a Death Eater. No one is. What you are is a student. For the moment. However, you are holding another student against her will and would have raped her had I not interrupted you, so your continuing position as a student is very much in doubt at the moment. I wonder what your father would say if he found out what you've done here."

Draco’s erection flagged, but his sneer remained firmly in place. "He’d say: 'Good work, son. I'll have her when you're through.'" 

Snape raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure of that? After the fines, the divorce, Azkaban? Not to mention what he's done to try to keep your family in the Ministry's good graces?"

Draco frowned. "Maybe you're right. Father has become weak. But you're not. Look at her." He indicated Hermione. "It doesn’t look 'against her will' to me. Sir." There was just enough of a pause to make the 'sir' insolent rather than respectful. 

Snape sliced a glance at the witch on the bed. She seemed to have lost the power of coherent speech as she panted, whimpered and struggled in her bonds. He hated to contemplate the type of potion that had resulted in the state of sexual arousal under which Hermione Granger suffered. He suspected from his observations downstairs that she hadn't gotten into this situation of her own free will. And his presence hadn't stifled her desire as it had the others'. She continued to pant and moan and beg for someone to please, please make her come. 

Snape's scowl deepened. It was unnerving to witness the usually reserved and academic Miss Granger in a state of unbridled carnality. And Draco Malfoy was responsible. 

"I daresay you're overestimating your father's tolerance. And mine." His black eyes flashed obsidian fire. "Especially mine. Once I inform the Headmistress about this you will be fortunate indeed if you are not…" His glare included Pansy and Iris who were huddled together watching with wide, frightened eyes. "Expelled." He turned back to Draco, who was now seated on the edge of the bed with his legs and arms crossed. 

"And another thing, Mr. Malfoy. You are delusional if you think your father has either the money or the influence to sweep this under the rug." He spotted the near-empty vial on the nightstand. His eyes narrowed. "Ah…as I suspected. When she didn't respond to your advances, you used a potion on her." His voice dripped with contempt. "How original." 

Snape slashed his wand and Draco was dressed. "Get out." He snarled. "Now." He held onto his temper by the finest of threads. "The three of you go back to Hogwarts and confine yourselves to your rooms. I shall deal with you later."

"Fine, I'm going. Don't know why I wanted to defile myself by screwing her anyway." Draco blustered, herding Iris and Pansy out of the door in front of him. Before he left the room, he turned back and met Snape's gaze. "You're going to be the one in trouble before this is over, Snape." His eyes slid to the bed and back and a malicious smile crept across face before he turned and slammed out of the room.

Snape cast a locking and silencing charm on the room, and then warded it for good measure. He strode to the nightstand, picked up the vial and sniffed. His rage at Malfoy grew. At least one component consisted of an aphrodisia potion, as he'd surmised. There were other things too, things he couldn't decipher without his tools back in his lab at Hogwarts. He found the cork on the table and used it to stopper the vial before he carefully placed it into his coat pocket. Then he turned and gazed at the young witch in the bed. 

His anger drained away.

Hermione Granger was being tortured by arousal. She needed help right away and Snape knew there was only one antidote. She would have to be brought to orgasm. But orgasm via masturbation alone could not break the hold of this particular aphrodisiac; only the singular intimacy of lovemaking was powerful enough to counter the effects of the potion. He looked down at the young woman who lay there whimpering, as tears streamed down the sides of her bruised face. Her wrists and ankles were red and raw from the strain of pulling against the restraints. His eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on him…there was no one else who could help Hermione now.

_He_ would have to do it. Merlin forgive him.

"Miss Granger."

"Don’t look at me." Her voice was a ragged whisper. "I'm so ashamed."

Severus found a barely adequate blanket and settled it over her. She flinched when the material touched her sensitive flesh.

"First—there is no reason for _you_ to be ashamed. None of this is your fault." 

Snape was uncomfortable—unaccustomed to the role into which he'd been thrust. He was a Potions Master, not a counselor. He understood, intellectually, what had to be done to help Miss Granger. He was at a loss as to the best way to communicate it to the traumatized young woman. Snape was self-aware enough to know that he was not a gentle man. He had little experience in the softer side of emotion, by choice. Most of his previous trysts had been with the "ladies" who worked in the Knockturn Alley brothel. Those were accomplished with a minimum of talk. It was physical release, nothing more.

This situation required a very different approach. It didn't help that his cock had sprung to life and strained against his trousers with ideas of its own. He cursed Malfoy under his breath for putting him in this position. His students had always been just that to him—but Merlin's balls, he was only human. And there was a lovely, naked witch spread out on the bed before him like a feast before a starving man. Snape noticed that his previous assessment of her charms was correct. A thin film of sweat formed on his upper lip. 

"They made me drink a potion…and now…" A groan escaped her lips; her voice was still a whisper. "I need…I need…"

One day, Snape promised himself, he would make Draco Malfoy understand the meaning of pain.

"I am quite aware of what you need, Miss Granger." He snapped more harshly then he’d intended. _Damn it, man. Try for logic, not anger._

He cleared his throat and strove for a gentler tone. "I know that one component of the potion they gave you is a dark, powerful aphrodisiac. I can and will help you with the solution. You must listen to me first."

Her eyes remained shut as she continued to pant.

"Do I have your full attention, Miss Granger?" He asked.

She moaned, but nodded.

"Look at me." It was a command.

Hermione opened her eyes and focused her heated gaze on him.

"The only antidote to the potion you were given is orgasm."

In that instant, she seemed to regain some of her senses. Relief flooded her face. "What are you waiting for? Untie me and let me get it over with!"

Snape cocked his head. "Why are you whispering?"

"Silencing hex."

"Merlin's sainted balls, I will castrate the little toerag." Snape waved his hand. "Better?"

"Yes." Hermione replied in something like her normal voice. "Much. Now, get on with the untying so I can get on with…you know." Her cheeks reddened.

"If only it was that simple." He took a breath to steady his nerves. "Remember? Dark and powerful magic. For this particular spell to be lifted, the orgasm must be achieved through copulation."

She groaned. "May I join you at the castration?" 

Snape's mouth quirked up on one side. Remarkable witch to be able to make a joke in this situation. He was struck by a possible solution that did not involve _him_. It was inspired, really. "I know who can help you. I will send an owl to Weasley."

"If you do, Professor Snape, you will join Malfoy at the castration." She licked her lips to moisten them. "It was hard enough to convince Ron that I was serious about breaking up with him. If he becomes involved in this—ugh, just no. I don't need a Ron Weasley problem on top of a Draco Malfoy problem. I need—I want--please, won't you fu--help me?"

Snape closed his eyes for a moment, then drew a ragged breath. It had to be Hermione's choice. It was the least he could do to give her a measure of control over the situation. "Very well. First, I shall endeavor to make you—bollocks, this sounds so cliché—more comfortable."

Much to his relief, Hermione huffed a laugh.

First, he conjured a glass of cold water and set it on the nightstand.

"Miss Granger, I am going to release you. When you are ready, we can commence with the antidote." Snape knew he sounded like a clinician, but he told himself it would be easier for the young witch that way. _Easier for you, you mean. Lying git._ He picked up his wand and, as he murmured an incantation, he performed an intricate pattern with it at her bonds. After a moment, they vanished in a puff of black smoke. 

Snape watched carefully as she flexed her joints to work out the stiffness and restore circulation to her extremities. When he had satisfied himself there was no damage to her limbs, he turned and walked to the chair in order to give her a bit of privacy. He decided to undress without magic (apart from the buttons, or they'd be here all night) in order to give them both a bit more time to get used to the idea. Before he started, he performed a contraceptive charm on himself. 

As he unfastened his robes, he wondered how Hermione felt about the fact that she was about to engage in intercourse with her Potions teacher. _With the 'slimy git' she's hated for years_ , his unconscious supplied. He grimaced. She'd saved his life, but she'd have done the same for anyone. He knew that she'd never expected his life debt to her to be repaid in _this_ way. He sighed. Well, since there was no other option, he vowed to make everything as easy for her as possible. He removed his robes and lay them over the back of the chair. With a wave of his wand he unfastened the buttons of his frock coat and shirt. He shrugged out of the coat, placed it over his robes and left his shirt on and open in front. 

He heard the bedclothes rustle and then the sound of Hermione drinking the water. Next, the glass clinked softly back onto the nightstand. He toed off his shoes and socks. Lastly, he removed his cufflinks and secured them in a pocket of his coat. He laid his wand on top of everything, and then turned. 

Hermione had lain back once again and watched him with fevered eyes. Snape met her gaze and held it as he walked back to the side of the bed. 

"Are you certain about this, Miss Granger?" He hesitated. "Because, I must admit—I am not."

"I am certain, Prof—er—Sir. Even though the circumstance that brought us to this moment was not a decision either of us made—I am very grateful to you for returning a small measure of choice to me." She raised her eyes to him. He could see what an effort she made to leash her desire. "I wish I could give the same consideration to you." 

"Miss Gr—for Merlin's sake—let's dispense with the honorifics, shall we? For the duration, call me Severus and I'll use your given name if you agree." 

She smiled. "Of course I agree, Severus. Now, can we please begin before I go mad?"

Snape pulled off his shirt and flung it aside along with his misgivings.

~~~***~~~

Hermione watched Professor— _Severus_ —toss his white shirt aside. She rose to her knees, calmer now that the end was in sight, and cast an appraising eye over him. He was wiry, with muscular shoulders and a wide chest that narrowed to slim hips and long legs. A dusting of dark hair ran across his chest, met in the middle and drew a path down his stomach before it disappeared into his trousers. Hard to believe all this was hidden underneath the plethora of robes and clothing he wore every day. She placed her hands flat against his stomach then slid them up to his chest and around his neck. She pressed herself against him, reached up and murmured against his lips. “My, what a nice body you have, Professor.”

"That's _Severus_ to you." He growled. "For now." Snape pulled her into a crushing kiss. Their tongues tangled and Hermione was overcome by desire as the effects of the potion triggered once again. She devoured his mouth hungrily and he responded with fervor. Before long, he gentled the kiss and sucked on her bottom lip for a moment, and then he trailed his lips along her jaw to breathe in her ear. She shivered and felt him smile against her cheek. 

She turned her head and kissed his neck where it met his shoulder, raising gooseflesh. 

He tangled his fingers into her hair and nibbled his way from her ear back to her mouth. He teased her lips with his tongue until she opened and kissed her hard. Hermione pulled back a little and met his dark gaze with hers. Without breaking eye contact, she trailed her hands across his chest, found the patch of silky hair in the center and followed it down with her fingers until she reached the waistband of his trousers. She undid the buttons and slid her hands inside, sliding the trousers down as she caressed his buttocks.

He Banished them to the chair with a thought.

"Ooooh, Severus, silk boxers." She murmured against his lips as her fingers teased his cock through the flimsy material. "You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

Her touch made him gasp. "Believe it or not, I enjoy surprising people." He took her wrists in his hands to still them. Through gritted teeth he asked: "Are you a virgin, my dear?"

Hermione leaned forward and rubbed her breasts against his chest with a smile, trapping their arms between them. She nibbled on his lips, maintaining eye contact. "No." She breathed before she kissed him again. 

Merlin's balls! Who would have thought that Snape would be such a great kisser…? If the rest of his technique was half as good—she fought for control of her mind as her arousal increased. Oh, she knew that some of her attraction to him was due to the potion; but if she was real honest with herself, Hermione had to admit that, all things considered, Severus Snape: Potions Master, Spy and Hero of the Second War, was a _very_ attractive wizard. In spite of his nose. And she wanted him. Now.

She broke the kiss, but continued to keep her heated gaze locked on his as she pulled away and settled back onto the bed. His black eyes gleamed with barely-leashed desire. She opened her arms to him. The air seemed to crackle between them. Her voice was low and husky when she spoke.

"Give me the antidote, Severus. Please."

Snape's restraint fractured. He magicked off his boxers, which released his erection. He didn't miss how Hermione's eyes widened then grew dark. He joined her in the bed and then positioned himself between her legs. He propped himself up on his elbows in order watch her reaction as he rubbed his cock against her sensitive flesh. She gasped, wrapped her legs around his waist, and then arched her body against him. 

Hermione almost screamed with frustration when he suddenly stopped. He covered her body with his, stilling them both, put his lips against her ear and growled.

"This is your last chance to change your mind. _Miss. Granger._ " He warned in his best classroom voice, using her honorific deliberately to remind her—or himself—of...what? That there would be no going back from this? He was flailing perhaps more than she. His body trembled with the force he was using to hold it still. 

Hermione grabbed a fistful of his hair and turned his head so that their eyes locked. Her lips were only millimeters from his.

"You and I both know that, unfortunately, we have no choice-and I'm sorry for your sake...but only a little, if I'm honest." She closed her eyes and kissed him, caressing his mouth gently. When she finished, she looked into his eyes and said, "I really am glad it's you. Please stop overthinking things and fuck me before I go mad. _Professor_." Then she kissed him again, hard, and at the same time she ground her pelvis ruthlessly against his erection.

Snape's restraint ruptured. He kissed her back savagely as he plunged into her; burying himself to the hilt in one stroke. 

Hermione screamed her pleasure against his mouth as she raked his back with her nails.

He pulled out and drove in again and again. She met him stroke for stroke; their passion building in a crescendo of pounding, writhing, clawing, sucking, and biting. Snape reached out and touched Hermione's mind with his; sharing with her the pleasure of both mind and body. She opened her mind and they reveled in the intimacy of their connection. Too soon, he felt his bollocks draw up. He slipped a hand between their bodies, found her clit and stroked. They shattered simultaneously in a rhapsody of feeling and then collapsed in each others' embrace, breathing hard.

At that moment, Snape felt a ripple of magic pass over them and his euphoria turned to dread.

"Did you feel something?" Hermione asked. "Aside from the obvious, I mean."

"Yes. Of course I did." Then, more quietly. "Shit."

"Ah. I thought so." There was amused apprehension in Hermione’s voice.

Snape levered himself up onto an elbow and looked down at her. "I'm serious. You felt it too?"

Her eyes glittered mischievously and she deliberately misunderstood his meaning to quip. "I think the entire pub felt it, Severus."

He didn’t return her smile. "Not that." He said testily. "Hermione, I told you before that I believe what Malfoy gave you was more than a simple lust potion."

She sobered and he knew she was steeling herself. "What, exactly, do you think it is?"

"I’m not completely certain."

"But you have your suspicions."

"Yes. There is dark magic at work. We both felt a spell actualize. Come.” He rose, silently Accioed his wand, and cast a cleansing spell on them both before clothing himself with a second wave. 

"We must return to my potions lab. Immediately."


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later that day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Draco is angry about being thwarted, Pansy and Iris grow closer and Snape and Hermione begin to realize everything the Binding entails for them.
> 
> CW: mention of past domestic violence and rape. Aftermath of sexual assault.

~~~Aftermath~~~

Draco, Pansy and Iris made their way to the castle from the Apparition point in silence. Draco's strides lengthened as his fury grew. His meticulous plan to bind Granger to him had been foiled. And by Snape, of all people. Again.

Snape, who had stepped forward and stolen the glory for Dumbledore's death that night on the Astronomy Tower, just as he was savoring his moment of victory. Snape, who turned out to be a double-agent and not a true believer. And a Half-Blood on top of it all. Draco scowled. He'd once thought of Snape as a mentor, someone to admire and aspire to emulate. But, like his father, Snape had abandoned him to the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, with whom he had been trapped in the Manor after fleeing the castle... 

_No! No, no, no, no!_

Draco cast around for something else to focus on instead of those haunting memories. He mind landed on the image of Granger spread-eagle on the bed begging him to fuck her. Damn it! Another couple of minutes was all he'd needed to bind that witch to him. Snape arrived at exactly the wrong moment today. And just like that day on the Astronomy tower, he had spoiled everything. 

_I'll wager Snape fucked her as soon as we left..._ Draco's eyes widened. _Bloody hell! He had to fuck her to save her and that means...that means...he's magically bound to her--a witch twenty years younger and a student, too. Hmm. Maybe he did me a favor after all. I wonder what Snape, or Granger for that matter, would do to keep this information quiet?_

~~~***~~~

As they followed Draco along the path toward the castle, Iris took Pansy's hand and pulled her along as they tried to keep up with his strides. She had learned to be very careful when he was angry because literally anything could set him off. Like falling too far behind him on the way back to the castle, for example. Iris had a feeling that it wouldn't matter how careful they were, she and Pansy would be the ones to suffer for today's failure. Draco would spin some nonsense to use as an excuse to take his frustration out on them. By shouting if they were lucky. Otherwise... well. It was a safe bet that one or both of them would have new bruises before the night was over. 

It would probably be her because she was such a protective sap.

Iris sighed. Draco had tricked her into drinking his potion a couple of weeks ago. He hadn't cared that she was bisexual with a preference for women—in fact, she suspected that made her more attractive to him. The worst thing about the binding, with the exception of the abuse, was that she fancied Pansy—and had even before Draco's chicanery. Unfortunately, Pansy still seemed to care for Draco, even after everything he'd done. Iris recognized that it would be up to her to get them out of this predicament. Today's events proved that Draco was able to modify the binding potion to override her free will--other than sexually. That fact was terrifying. She hoped it had scared Pansy as much as it had her.

She was convinced that Draco's mind had been damaged during the War. He needed help; she didn't like to think what he might try next. His obsession with Hermione Granger had made them all accomplices in her kidnapping and assault. Iris wasn't going to Azkaban for him or anyone, so she had to get out from under his influence. She was determined to get Pansy out, too. But how? The binding potion didn't have an antidote...she'd already checked through the potions books in the Library, even sneaking into the Restricted Section. Iris had almost decided to tell Professor Snape what was happening and ask for his help, but after what he saw today, could she? Iris had a feeling that Snape was probably still their best hope. She decided to discuss it with Pansy before making any decisions. 

When they reached the door outside of the Slytherin common room, Draco turned to face them and they froze. He reminded Iris of a raptor, trying to decide which of the two frightened rabbits he intended to devour. Pansy trembled and Iris' heart broke her. This situation was harder for Pansy who had happily drunk the binding potion as soon as Draco offered it to her. After being used and abused for several weeks, her hopes for a future with him had diminished. 

Iris knew something about unrequited feelings. And even more about friendship. She pretended a light-headedness she didn't feel and stumbled against Draco, putting herself into the line of fire. He reflexively grabbed her upper arms to steady her. 

His eyes blazed and his grip constricted until she yelped. Iris was wide-eyed with terror. "I'm sorry!" She squeaked.

"How many times do we have to go over this, Iris. Any witch bound to me must be the epitome of style, elegance and beauty. You are beautiful and stylish but you are still lacking in elegance. You will come to my room tonight for correction. Get cleaned up and both of you meet me in the Great Hall." He glared at her then Pansy, and then back to her. "Iris, under your robes you will wear a red push up bra, matching suspender belt and tights. Oh, and... no knickers."

The Slytherin common room door opened and Draco quickly released her. Gregory Goyle slouched out and grinned when he saw them. "Oi, Draco. Ladies. I was just going down to eat. Fancy coming along?" 

Draco looked at him, then Iris, then back at Goyle as a smile crawled across his face that sent a chill across Iris' soul. 

"The girls will join us shortly." Draco said as he fell in step beside his friend. "I'll go down with you. I'd like a word." 

When they were out of sight, Iris turned to Pansy. "We have to talk."

"You're right." The common room door opened again and several First Year girls exited in a jumble before giggling their way down the corridor. Patsy caught the door before it closed again. "Shall we go to my room? We'll have privacy there."

Iris nodded. They hurried through the common room and up the stairs. They turned left into a corridor that branched off from the dormitories. It was here that the returning Slytherin Seventh Year students were housed. Pansy opened the door to her room with a wave of her hand. Once they were inside, she closed and locked the door with a thought then buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Iris put her arms around Pansy, pulled her into an embrace, and held her as she wept. Once the worst of the storm had passed, Iris led Pansy to the bed and they sat down close together. Iris took Pansy's hand and held it. 

"I'm sorry for being such a prat, Iris. You know, it's always awful when Draco releases control of me and I realize what he's done to me. But today... it...it was worse. The spell felt different this time. All the other times he just wanted some kind of sex--today--" She turned toward Iris and her gaze was horror-stricken. "I had no control over my actions. I didn't want to give Granger that potion but I couldn't stop myself! "

Iris looked at her meaningfully. "Same here. You're right, something was different today. It was almost like we were under Imperio. He probably slipped us something this morning. Listen, you and I are Draco's victims just as much as Granger is."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do. He was in command of our behavior today, not us." 

"He's going to hurt you tonight, you know." Pansy wiped her eyes. 

"I know." Iris raised a shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. "I can take it. This whole situation is harder for you because you love him. I remember the night you told me that he wanted to bind you to him. You were so happy." Iris smiled at the memory. "I was happy for you. We both thought he was talking about hand-fasting or marriage."

Pansy's eyes filled again. " _Loved._ " She said fiercely. "I was a fool to believe there was a future with him. His parents never thought I was good enough to be his wife. I should have realized all I was to him was a quick shag." Her tears streamed down her face. 

Iris took her hand. "Hush. Anyone would be lucky to have you." She Accioed a handkerchief and handed it to the other girl with a smile. "Did you know that I refused Draco when he asked me to bind myself to him?" 

"You did?" 

Iris nodded. "I refused him twice. First, because I'm just not attracted to him. But more importantly...because I knew it would break your heart. He kept saying that I was the perfect opposite of you; tall where you are short, blonde to your dark, and slim instead of curvy." She sighed. "He slipped the potion into my drink one night at supper--that weekend when you went to visit your folks." Iris looked into Pansy's eyes." He had added the aphrodisia to the binding potion by then." She shrugged. "He took me into his room and raped me. I was so far gone, so aroused sexually—you saw this afternoon just what that aphrodisia does to you—just like Granger, I was begging for it by the time he finally fucked me. And after he made me come?" She snapped her fingers. "Boom. No more free will when Draco decides he wants you." Iris fought back the tears that threatened. "Then he gave me over to Goyle."

Pansy nodded. "He's done that to me, too. I'm sorry Iris."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Iris cupped Pansy's chin in her hand and tipped her face up so that their eyes met. "News flash, Pans. I've fancied you for ages. The one good thing about this situation for me is that I get to be close to you." Iris' heart pounded. Merlin, why had she said that? She chewed her bottom lip. 

"Oh, Iris. Is that why you've taken Draco's punishments onto yourself more than once? Even after I was such a bitch to you when I found out? I hated it that Draco wanted you too. I didn't know you'd refused him...didn't bother to find out I guess. Merlin, I'm so self-centered!" Pansy reached out and caressed Iris' cheek. "But—in the last couple of weeks, I've become so grateful that it was you. You were always kind to me even when I was awful."

Iris shrugged. "I understand why you were."

Pansy bit her lip. "You know, I-I do like you, too--as more than a friend."

Iris' heart soared. "Oh, Pans—"

"But, Iris—I'm not sure what emotions are real anymore—do you know what I mean? I'm so confused by the binding spell! But I promise you this—if we ever get free of it—I'd like to spend some time with you and find out."

Iris cupped Pansy's face with her hands, drew her forward and kissed her. She nibbled her lips softly, and then teased them with her tongue. When Pansy opened, Iris explored her mouth leisurely and thoroughly. She slid her hands into Pansy's hair, and then trailed them down to caress her shoulders. Pansy pulled her close as she took control of the kiss. Iris indulged herself for a few moments, and then slowed everything down. At last, she rained gentle, soft kisses across Pansy's face. With a final taste of her lips, Iris pulled away without breaking their embrace.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you to kiss me without Draco's influence, Pans." Iris couldn't resist; she leaned over and tasted the other woman's lips again. "But, like you said. We should wait. Once we get away from Draco then we can explore things further." She smiled. "Thanks for not freaking out on me, by the way."

"Cut it out, Iris." Pansy blustered. "It is nice to kiss you without being coerced." She frowned. "Do you think there's a way to break the binding?"

Iris chewed her bottom lip. "Not yet. But—after what happened today, I'll bet a hundred Galleons that Professor Snape will be motivated to find a solution. If he fucked Hermione, which I don't see how he could avoid it in the state she was in, they are well and truly bound together. He's the best Potions Master in Britain and maybe the whole Wizarding world. If he can't find an antidote, no one can. I'm betting on him."

Pansy looked thoughtful. "You're right. Potions next week should be—interesting—to say the least. Damn, I wish I could be there to see what happens." 

"Class." Iris began in her best Snape impersonation. "Turn to page 69 in your books. For homework, I want all of you to give me eight inches on the properties of the Draught of the Living Death. All except for you, Miss Granger. I want you to come with me into the storeroom where I intend to give you eight inches of my cock."

Pansy snickered. "Oh my god, Iris! How am I going to look at Snape now without thinking that?" Her eyes widened. "Do you really think it's eight inches?" 

"Who can tell what he's hiding under those robes? I've heard that the length of the nose is an indicator. If that true..." Iris waggled her eyebrows. "I've got an idea. We can ask Granger on Monday." She chuckled. "'Hey there, Granger, is it true that Snape has an Anaconda in his pants?" 

Pansy's eyes were watering with the effort to hold in her laughter. "Do you think she would tell us?" 

"Maybe if we asked nicely?" Iris snorted, which sent them into peals of laughter that quickly turned uproarious and they flopped backwards on the bed. When their laughter subsided, they lay side by side, gasping. 

Iris wiped her eyes. "Great, now the only thing either of us will be thinking when we see Professor Snape is 'how big is his cock?'"

Pansy raised herself up on an elbow and smiled at Iris. She reached down, smoothed her hair away from her face and then bent and kissed her gently. 

"Thank you." Pansy looked deep into her eyes. "If you can, come back here once Draco is…finished…with you. I'll have a healing draught and Firewhiskey."

Iris raised her hand to stroke Pansy's face. "I will."

~~~***~~~

The aphrodisia spell was well and truly broken.

Hermione felt her cheeks burn and she pulled the blanket against her body in an attempt to cover herself; embarrassed now that Severus was fully dressed. The unseemly speed with which Sev—Professor Snape's—demeanor had changed was dizzying. She felt as if she'd stepped off of a roller coaster. She had hurtled down from the height of ecstasy to stark reality in moments. Hermione started to shake and her stomach roiled. 

She had to get out of this room.

She spotted her clothes and, thank Merlin, her undamaged wand on a table by the fireplace. She retrieved both with a silent Accio as she bolted into the bathroom. She slammed and locked the door with a thought, and only just made it to the toilet before she vomited. She retched and retched until there was nothing left, and then she retched again. When it was over, she sank to the floor, covered her face with the blanket and began to cry. Great, heaving, uncontrollable sobs.

Snape stood outside of the bathroom door at sixes and sevens as he listened to the traumatized young woman weep. He had acted without thinking about Hermione's feelings when he'd felt the spell complete, and he cursed himself for an insensitive prat. Then he felt a strong urge to break into the bathroom, gather Hermione into his arms and just hold her. Snape knew himself well enough to know that this desire was completely out of character. He closed his eyes, gripped his wand, focused his mind on Hermione and whispered " _Legilimens_ ". Legilimency was more difficult without eye contact, but not impossible. The impressions he received from Hermione's mind were jumbled and confused. She both wanted to be alone and wanted him to comfort her. He lowered his wand and opened his eyes. It was probably better to leave her alone for now, he decided. Snape forced himself away from the door and paced the room. 

_Why would Draco do something like this?_

His parents had indulged him his entire life, so he was spoiled, yes. Until the Dark Lord took up residence in their home, Draco Malfoy had rarely been denied anything. That stopped after Voldemort arrived at the Manor. 

_He didn't brew an illicit potion just to get something he couldn't have otherwise._

No. Draco was changed in terrible ways during the War. 

_He had seen and done so many terrible things._

Draco had been a witness, on numerous occasions, to his parents being tortured and had felt the pain of Crucio himself. He'd seen the father he worshiped humiliated in the worst way the night that Voldemort took Lucius' wand. Everyone in the room had been frightened that night. 

_Including me. And poor Draco had been terrified._

He had been just eighteen at the time. Charity Burbage was the first person Draco had seen killed up close. She was a teacher Draco knew from school. A person who had begged Severus to save her. A person who he then watched being eaten by a giant snake.

Snape closed his eyes. That one still hurt. The memory of that horrific night at Malfoy Manor and the way that Charity died—Severus found himself fighting the urge to weep. 

His eyes snapped open. _What the hell?_

Snape stood still and examined his mind. Hermione's anguish was reaching through to him somehow and was wrecking havoc on his emotions. He started Occluding in order to shut out some of her distress, with limited success. Was this the manifestation of whatever dark magic had been activated earlier?

_Draco's mind must have been affected by the horrific things he had experienced at the Dark Lord's hand. He was given the task of killing Dumbledore in order to save his father. And who knows what else had happened at the Manor when I wasn't there?_

Still, just because Draco "wanted" Hermione Granger, didn't mean he could "have" her without her consent. Witches had had the right to choose their sexual partners since the 13th century and Draco knew it. And yet, he had drugged her with an aphrodisia potion in order to have her against her will. 

_An aphrodisia potion, even a dark one, wouldn’t make me want to blast that bathroom door into oblivion._

Hermione's suffering had triggered a protectiveness in Snape that was foreign to him. It was certainly much different than the way he'd felt about protecting Potter all those years. This was more personal, more emotional, and more visceral. 

_This empathetic connection couldn't have been what Malfoy was going for when he brewed his potion._

Snape's hands curled into fists in frustration.

It was essential that he get back to Hogwarts in order to begin to work out exactly what was in that potion. Snape stopped pacing beside the door and put his ear against it. 

The weeping had stopped. 

He knocked. "Hermione." He said as gently as he was able and more gruffly than he'd intended. "I believe we should get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. Are you almost ready?"

"I need another few minutes, please."

~~~***~~~

Hermione dashed the tears from her eyes and blew her nose. She inhaled slowly and exhaled through her mouth. And again. Calmer now, she flushed the toilet and got up. She thought she had felt some empathy from Snape earlier, but it must have been her imagination. Or perhaps something to do with Legilimency? Either way, it had helped steady her and now she only felt a subtle urgency to get back to the potions lab.

 _He must have used Legilimency. It had certainly helped. That weird urge to get back must be a residual from his mind._

She moved to the basin, rinsed out her mouth and washed her face. Then she performed a cleansing charm before putting her clothes back on. When she looked in the mirror and saw the fright her hair had become, she waved her wand and watched it untangle and braid itself. Her face was pale and her eyes were red-rimmed and haunted. And she was going to have a hell of a bruise on her cheek where Draco had slapped her.

"Fuck it," she muttered. "That's as good as it's gonna get tonight." With one more deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and opened the door. 

"I'm ready, Professor."

Snape raised an eyebrow. So, he was 'professor' again, was he? He stopped Occluding and opened his mind to hers. Ah. The change was her way of putting them back into their proper student/teacher relationship. A wise decision. 

"Very well, Miss Granger. Shall we go?" 

"We don't have to go back through the pub, do we?" 

Severus removed the wards and charms he'd set on the room earlier, and then checked for any Anti-Apparition spells. 

"Thankfully, no."

The expression of relief that crossed her face would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic. He held out his hand and she put hers into it. He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and Disapparated.

~~~***~~~

They arrived at the Apparition point outside the school grounds and Hermione was surprised to see that it was already early evening. Snape steadied her and then stepped away, much too soon. She could have stayed wrapped in his arms and robes, safe from the world, forever. He turned and walked toward the castle. As she fell in beside him, it seemed as if she could still feel his arms around her. When they had almost reached the castle, Snape veered away from the main entrance and made for a turret near the rear. He hardly slowed as he walked up to an unobtrusive bit of wall.

"Dissendium." The wall slid aside to reveal a doorway. "Dumbledore had this put in to make coming and going easier for me during the War," he explained as he ushered her through.

The door closed behind them. Hermione heaved a sigh, relieved to be back inside the sturdy walls of Hogwarts. She followed Snape along the unfamiliar corridor, down a staircase and along another corridor which she did recognize, because it led to the Potions classroom and his office. When he reached his office door he stopped, waved his wand, and murmured a spell to remove the wards. The door swung open and he gestured for her to precede him inside. Once the door closed behind them Snape re-set the wards. Hermione's heart thumped and her breath caught as she watched his graceful movements. Suddenly, she felt a warm tingle inside and began to wonder if he intended to hold her again. 

She wanted him to. Very much.

Snape turned around and paled when he saw the look in her eyes. Even with the Occluding, he felt her desire for more close contact. And, Merlin save him, he wanted nothing more than to oblige. Instead, he resisted the pull of their mutual longing with effort, by crossing his arms and thereby wrapping his robes around himself. This had the added benefit of placing a physical barrier between them, slight as it was. He knew the potion was to blame for her reaction, but he wasn't sure if _she_ understood that fact. 

"Miss Granger," he said. "Please come through. I'll make tea. Or perhaps you would like a calming draught? No? All right. But—we should talk about this situation, if you're up to it?" 

Hermione watched him close himself off from her. She knew that he'd wanted to hold her as much as she wanted him to. And yet, he hadn't. Her eyes burned as she fought back tears. She would not let him see how his rejection had affected her. She lifted her chin. "Tea. Sure. Tea would be great." 

Snape led her through the office and past his desk to the false window. Again, the wards were removed before he waved his hand to initiate the transformation of the window into a doorway. She followed him through and found herself inside a very comfortable sitting room. She looked around, indulging her curiosity about Snape's private quarters.

On one side of the room was a huge stone fireplace. Snape muttered 'Incendio' on his way past and the fire burst to life. Grouped in front of the fireplace was a black leather sofa, and two comfortable looking, upholstered wing-back chairs. In front of that group was a table and there were side tables between and beside the chairs. All the tables were ornately carved and appeared to be dark mahogany. The stone floor was covered with rugs. But it wasn't the furniture that stopped her in her tracks.

It was the books.

There were books everywhere. Books lined the mantle. The walls were full of shelves and every shelf was full to bursting with books. Scrolls filled in the spaces on top of the books. All of the tables sported stacks of books, some of which teetered so precariously, a breath might topple them over. Hermione presumed they were held up by magic. Every corner was filled with more stacks of books. The table in front of the sofa boasted six open books. Two were bookmarked, three were held open one upon the other, and one was turned face down as if it had been abandoned hurriedly. 

"Oh, Professor Snape," she breathed. "It's wonderful."

Snape had known without the benefit of Divination that she would be impressed; he owned almost as many books as the library. And with her attention on his books, it was no longer focused on him. He conjured a tea tray and floated it over to the table in front of the sofa. The books shifted themselves out of the way and the tray settled down gently.

Hermione seated herself in one of the chairs and was watching him again, her expression guarded. He sighed inwardly. He had a few theories about Malfoy’s potion, and he didn't like where they were leading him. He poured the tea and she thanked him quietly when he handed her the cup. She added a bit of sugar and sipped. He seated himself in the other chair, and picked up his own cup.

"Professor…"

"Miss Granger…"

Their eyes met. Snape felt her longing for his embrace and, much to his dismay, with direct eye contact, it was more difficult to resist. He looked away, stood and made his way to the other side of the room and stood next to one wall of books. Putting distance between them didn't seem to help. He could still feel her willing him to turn around—to come back—to take her in his arms…

Snape stiffened his resolve and focused on the book titles before him. These were the dusty relics of his dalliance with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. Nasty tomes full of dark potions. When he gave the First Years his "…bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…" speech, these were the potions he was referring to. His attention was drawn to a slim red volume, its layer of dust blemished with fingerprints. He felt his blood pressure begin to rise.

Merlin's balls.

Snape plucked the book from the shelf, opened it and flipped through the pages. About halfway through, he found a page that had been dog-eared, which was bad enough, but it was also stained by a careless splatter of ingredients. He never treated his books in such a cavalier manner. Snape cursed under his breath as he carried it back to his chair. He balanced the open book on one knee, reached into his coat pocket, and withdrew the vial he’d found on the table beside the bed earlier. He removed the cork, brought it up to his nose and sniffed. He daubed a bit from the inside of the glass with a finger and then he smelled it, tasted it, and then spit it out. 

"Miss Granger, we have a much bigger problem than I originally thought."

"You're talking about the increased empathy and emotions I've been feeling, right? You've been feeling them too?"

"Yes. Even though I have been Occluding, I haven't been completely immune." His voice was low and furious. "I believe that Mr. Malfoy has combined," he indicated the open book on his knee, "a potion from this book with an aphrodisia potion. If that proves to be the case…there may not be an antidote."

Hermione paled. "I want you to be honest with me, Professor Snape. What are we dealing with?"

He turned the book so she could see the recipe. "It's called _Continuatus Conjugium_. Otherwise known as 'The Permanent Connection' or 'Permanent Marriage'." He paused for a moment to control his temper before he continued. "It's been illegal since the 12th century. But that hasn't stopped unscrupulous wizards and witches from using it to guarantee that their partner or partners were bound to them forever..." 

He met her gaze squarely. "...With or without their consent. After the first orgasm is achieved, the couple is bound one to the other. Whatever one feels, the other not only reciprocates that feeling but is compelled to respond. In the case of sexual desire, the effect is enhanced."

Her voice was a whisper. "That little fucker."

Snape raised an eyebrow at her profanity, but continued without commenting on it. "Since I am not yet sure _which_ aphrodisia potion he combined with this one…I don't know what all of the effects might be. I want you to know that I will endeavor to discover it. But you should also know—it may not matter."

Severus waited patiently while Hermione considered everything he'd said. After a few minutes she said, "I have a question."

"I will answer if I can, of course."

She met his gaze. "Is it affecting—you—the same way?"

Snape didn't look away. "Yes."

"Then, I'm sorry…for your sake." Hermione closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair. 

Snape was impressed by the way she had accepted everything he'd told her so far. He hadn't been sure what to expect, but quiet acceptance at the news that she was now magically bound to him, possibly forever, would not have been his first guess. He already knew that she was courageous; she'd proved that again and again during the War. Intelligent, brave and lovely. A combination that any wizard would be lucky to attract…

...and he had to stop thinking about her that way. 

Luckily, her voice interrupted his dangerous train of thought.

"I have a favor to ask." 

"If it is within my power, I will grant it." 

She opened her eyes and looked into his. "Will you hold me again? For just a moment." 

Snape knew he should say no. Continued intimate contact between them would only strengthen their bond. He felt her need echo within him and the compulsion he had just explained to her manifested itself. He opened his mouth to refuse, but her desire to be in his arms overrode his cool logic and Snape realized that he could not deny her. Hermione had been through a horrific ordeal, and she had borne it all so far with quiet courage and amazing fortitude. How could he begrudge her such a small request? He couldn't…even if there was no dark magic coursing through his veins. 

He reached for her hands and rose from his chair, drawing her up with him. In one motion, he wrapped his arms and his robes around her and pulled her close. Hermione slipped her hands around his waist and laid her head against his chest with a small sigh. He rested his cheek on top of her head, closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of her embrace.

They stood like that for several minutes until he reluctantly stepped away. Holding her at arm's length by her hands, he examined her wrists—mostly to avoid looking into her eyes.

"You should see Madam Pomfrey. Your wrists, and your ankles, I'm sure, are burned and bruised. And your cheek..." Her wrists looked so fragile in his hands. 

"Yeah, I got mouthy before I realized I was helpless..." She stifled a sob and cleared her throat. "I know I should see the Nurse. But—I'd rather not…have to explain the reason for my injuries. Perhaps a healing charm...?"

He Accioed his wand and performed the charm. The marks did fade a bit, but not completely.

A small smile touched her lips. "That's better. Thank you." 

"It's getting late. You should get back to your common room, Miss Granger," he said. "I am sure your friends are worried about you."

She shrugged. "Maybe. But they are used to me wandering off by myself, and it's easier now that I have my own room, so—perhaps not so much as you might think. Which is a good thing in this case." 

She turned and started toward the door, and he followed with his hands clasped behind him. "Miss Granger, you know that I must inform the Headmistress about what has happened."

She stopped and turned toward him so fast he nearly plowed into her. For the first time there was fear in her eyes. "Oh, no…please Professor…"

"Miss Granger, surely you are not under the delusion that this is something we can keep from her...even if we were so inclined?" 

Her horrified expression spurred him on. "Hermione—I must. We need her help. We have been magically bound to one another. Setting aside the fact that this situation is unethical; it is also impossible. What occurred between us today should not be repeated if we can help it. You are a student and I am your teacher. I am also old enough to be your father…"

"Sure, if you fathered me when you were nineteen." Her voice dripped sarcasm. 

He put a finger on her lips to quiet her and his mouth quirked up at the corner. "Miss Granger, please. Use that remarkable brain of yours and think. If Malfoy had not given you that potion, would you be having these feelings for me? Would you? Be honest."

She chewed her lip and examined him from head to toe as she pondered his question. She crossed her arms and with a small frown, began to speak. 

"Before I answer—I want to tell you something you may not know about me. I have always been on your side. I've lost count of the number of times I defended you to Harry or Ron or anyone else who said bad things about you. I did even after you killed Professor Dumbledore. Harry told me what he saw that night. I surmised that you were saving Draco from doing it." At his start of surprise, she smiled. 

"Oh, I suspected that he had taken the Dark Mark and become a Death Eater. Before I ever saw the memories you gave to H—oh, don't look so horrified, I saw them all—I believed that you were on our side." She grinned slyly at him. "Why do you think I dragged that Healer by his ear back to the Shrieking Shack?" She sobered. "I have admired you for ages. What stopped me from considering of any sort of 'possibilities' regarding you was the fact that frankly, I didn't think I stood a chance. Because I knew you'd never look at me in that way."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Come now, Miss Granger. You do not have to spare my ego and please do not insult my intelligence. I am well aware of the way I am perceived by your friends Potter and Weasley. Oh, and all the rest. I'm 'the greasy git'. Snivellus. Or perhaps--"

"An 'insufferable know-it-all'?" Hermione’s eyes flashed. "Give me a little credit for being able to make up my own mind about things, thanks," she snapped. 

Snape was taken aback by her vehemence. "Indeed? Then perhaps you will at least admit I would not be your first choice."

"I no longer have a choice, so I don't know. It may come as a surprise to you, Professor, but I find wizards my age rather dull. Most of them do not have the same dreadful experiences that you and I had during the War because most of them were elsewhere and safe, fortunately. So, for them, if it's not Quidditch or the latest Firebolt, they have remarkably little to say." She chewed on her lip before continuing. "And then there's the best thing about you...your intelligence. If you want to know when I started to change my opinion of you—it was when I read your logic problem during First Year when we went after the Philosopher's Stone. I still think it was brilliant, by the way. So--I have not been afraid of you, nor have I hated you, since. Don't get me wrong, you consistently acted like a bloody prat to me in and out of class…"

He snorted.

"…which kind of cheesed me off by Fourth Year, to tell you the truth." Her face became thoughtful. "You don't know how many times I wished your circumstances had been different so that you could have been free to discuss the intricacies of potions work with me. I've always been fascinated by the subject, and it's not like I can have any kind of intellectual discussion on _'the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses'_ with Harry or Ron. Or anyone else I know, really."

Snape could not have been more stunned if he'd been hit in the head with a Bludger. She remembered his First Year speech? _Wait a minute…what did she know of his circumstances?_

"Circumstances, Miss Granger? What circumstances do you mean?"

"Oh come off it, Professor. I realized during Fifth Year that you were spying for the Order. I also assumed that you'd been feeding Voldemort disinformation, but that was just a guess until I saw the memories in the Pensieve. It was those circumstances I wished were different. If they had been, you wouldn't have had to be so careful all the time about your interaction with students outside of Slytherin. And," her voice caught. "You might have called on me in class once in a while…instead of calling me names."

Snape closed his eyes in an attempt to shield himself against the onslaught of her emotions. She wanted him to hold her again and he was having difficulty resisting the unrelenting coercion of her desire. 

"Miss Granger," he hissed. "You must endeavor to control your emotions or we will not be able to be in the same room together."

"I'm sorry—I know it must be hard for you. I think I'm still a bit off-center." She seemed to close off and he felt the compulsion ease. "Professor, I am going with you to talk to the Headmistress."

"But—"

Her mouth was set in a stubborn line. "I'm afraid I must insist. Like it or not, we're in this together." She hesitated only a fraction, "…Severus."


	4. Explanations and Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting with Minerva. Hermione deals with Harry and Ginny. Snape gets drunk. Draco ups the ante. Iris and Pansy scheme.
> 
> CW: Non-consensual sex. Discussion of sexual assault.

~~~***~~~

Severus led the way from the dungeon to the Head's office along a rarely used series of corridors. Hermione knew that he had tried to stop her from accompanying him out of a desire to spare her; but there was no way that she was going to let him drop this bomb onto Minerva's head on his own. Even without the benefit of their connection, his relief was palpable. It was the least she could do.

Especially since they seemed to be stuck with each other for the foreseeable future. 

Apparently he was back to being 'Severus' to her, at least in her thoughts. 

_I shouldn't get into the habit of thinking of him as "Severus"_. 

On the other hand, if they were magically bound together—forever—well, she wasn't going to call him "Professor Snape" in private. _Assuming we will have more private moments._ She chewed her lip at that thought. Because she was pretty sure she wanted more private moments with him. Especially if it involved his...books. Yes, his books. A very impressive collection. She smiled to herself. 

Her musing was interrupted when they arrived at the statue of the gargoyle. 

Snape gave what could only be called a long-suffering sigh. "Montrose Magpies rule the roost". The gargoyle jumped aside and Hermione knew her fake cough did little to cover her snort of laughter. Snape raised an eyebrow at her and his lips twitched. She felt his tension ease a bit as they rode the stone staircase upward. When they reached the door he knocked.

"Come in."

The door swung open and they walked into the office. It was much the same as it had been; surrounded by windows with breath-taking views, with the Sorting Hat and Sword of Gryffindor on shelves behind the Head's desk under Dumbledore's portrait. The portraits of the former headmasters covered the walls. It was Headmistress McGonagall's touches that made the space her own. In one corner stood two mannequins. The one on the right displayed her beautiful green tartan dress robes, and on the left one was dressed in her father’s highland dress in the same tartan. The familiar tin of ginger biscuits sat on one corner of the enormous desk. Behind it, McGonagall was writing furiously on a piece of parchment. She paused and glanced at them. If she was surprised to see these two particular people together in her office on a Saturday afternoon, she hid it well. However, Dumbledore was extremely interested in their arrival and he sat a bit straighter in his portrait.

"Professor Snape, Miss Granger, please be seated and forgive me for a moment while I finish here."

They settled into the comfortable chairs in front of her desk.

McGonagall returned her attention to the parchment, scratching fiercely for several more moments, and then signed it with a vengeance. She thrust the quill back into its holder with perhaps more force than was required, blotted the parchment and set it aside.

"Thank you for your patience while I finished that letter. Bloody Ministry." It was a measure of Minerva's relationship with them both that she felt that she could speak plainly. "They are coming here with a flock of journalists—including Rita Skeeter—a week from Monday. I've explained, in person and by owl, as diplomatically as I can, why such a visit is impossible. This is a school! We've only just gotten back into our normal routine. But the ruddy Ministry sees this as an opportunity to show off the "rebuilding progress that has been made". A bunch of dunderheaded bureaucrats, the lot of them. The bottom line: we will be hosting some very unwelcome guests." She looked at them and became quite still. "Something has happened."

"Yes. We have a serious problem, Headmistress." Snape said. "However...perhaps we could speak privately?" His glance indicated the very interested denizens of the paintings. "It is a... delicate matter."

"Of course. Come through to my sitting room." She rose and they followed her through a door trailed by a chorus of complaints from the portraits that were abruptly cut off when she closed it again. "Please be seated." She waved them over to the sofa in front of the fireplace. Dumbledore slipped into his other portrait while she settled into her overstuffed chair. "Pearl!"

A House Elf popped into the room. "Yes, Headmistress?"

While Minerva talked quietly with the House Elf, Snape waited for Hermione to sit down before he sat beside her. He left several inches of space between them. Even so, being so close to him was exquisite torment. _If only I could touch him...it would be so easy...all I have to do is brush my hand against his..._

She shook herself mentally. It was the damned magic working on her again. She closed her eyes and thought of nasty potions ingredients, trying to fight it off. The side-eye she got from Snape told her it hadn't worked as well as she'd counted on. She focused on a heartfelt apology and hoped he understood. 

Pearl disappeared with a pop and moments later, a tray with hot tea, sandwiches and chocolate biscuits appeared on the table before them. 

"I'm starving," Minerva said as she helped herself to a sandwich and some tea. "And I'll wager neither of you have eaten since breakfast."

"Headmistress..."

"Severus, what you two have to tell me can wait a few more minutes. I don't like receiving bad news on an empty stomach. I also don't like eating alone." She glowered at them both. 

Snape heaved a very put upon sigh. "Miss Granger?"

"Tea, thanks. And a biscuit, please."

Minerva started to object, but Snape shot her a glance so fierce she sat back without another word. She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully as she watched Severus Snape; controlled, cynical, and sarcastic _Severus Snape_ , solicitously attend to Hermione Granger’s refreshment. Hermione was grateful for, and strengthened by, his consideration. 

Interesting. 

After they finished their tea, Minerva settled herself more comfortably in her chair and speared them with a glance.

"What has happened?"

Severus glanced at Hermione who gave a short nod and then he returned his attention to Minerva. 

"Since the beginning of the school year," he began, "Draco Malfoy has taken a rather…intense…interest in Miss Granger. I put it down to mere infatuation. I was wrong. As the weeks have passed, Draco's 'interest' crossed over into obsession." He clenched his fists. "The fact that I didn't realize the dangerous depth of his obsession until yesterday is proof that my surveillance skills have diminished since the end of the war." 

"Don't be ridiculous, Professor Snape." Hermione interrupted, her voice grim. "You could not have foreseen what Draco was planning. Stop beating yourself up."

Minerva braced herself for a scathing retort from Severus, but he merely glanced at Hermione with a raised eyebrow and said, "If I may continue?" before he turned to address her once more. Curiousier and curiousier.

"I knew he was planning to do something today in Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, I was not able to find him in the crowd. I took a break and went to the Hog's Head for a quiet drink. Imagine my surprise when Miss Granger came in and ordered Firewhiskey." His scowl communicated his feelings perfectly.

"Professor Snape, I shouldn't have to remind you that I am twenty years old and thus, perfectly within my rights as an adult to have a drink in a pub if I should choose to." 

Instead of the sarcastic reply she expected, Severus simply glared. McGonagall was fascinated by their interplay. "She's quite right, Severus, please continue."

"Pansy Parkinson and Iris Ichabod joined Miss Granger a short time later. Malfoy was not with them. I cast a Disillusionment charm and searched the other tables, without success. When I returned my attention to Miss Granger's table, Parkinson and Ichabod were assisting Miss Granger up the stairs. It seemed out of character, even with the new inter-house cooperation scheme, due to the bad feelings from the War between Slytherin and Gryffindor houses. Not only that, Miss Parkinson and Miss Ichabod have been inseparable from Draco outside of class. I waited at my table because I expected Draco to enter at any moment. After an hour there was still no sign of him. I got the room number from Aberforth, went upstairs and listened at the door. What I heard was so alarming that I Apparated into the room. Miss Granger was tied to the bed..." 

Hermione was sitting next to Severus, listening quietly, when she was stunned by a wave of anger that swept through her mind. She glanced sideways at him, but there was no outward sign of his inner fury. His voice remained steady. 

"Headmistress. Malfoy was on the verge of raping her. Thank Merlin I interrupted him before he could. However, I did not act swiftly enough to prevent Miss Granger from being sexually assaulted. I believe, but have no proof, that he has also assaulted both Miss Parkinson and Miss Ichabod." 

McGonagall immediately focused her attention on Hermione. "Hermione, have you been to see Madam Pomfrey?" 

Hermione shook her head. "No, Headmistress. Professor Snape offered to escort me to the infirmary, but...I'd rather not." 

Minerva pressed her lips together. "Do you want to press charges?"

"I'm not sure that is the best course of action at the moment. You haven't heard the whole story, yet."

"Would you prefer to have Professor Snape leave the room so that you may talk to me alone?"

"No!" Hermione barked. She cleared her throat and continued in a more normal tone. "No. I don't want Professor Snape to leave, please. He arrived before…stopped Draco from, from…completing the act." She felt tears pricking her eyes and forced them back. "As will become clear...Professor Snape is as much a victim of Draco's scheme as I am. Please let him finish telling you. It's easier for me if he explains."

"Very well. There are resources I will share with you, if you change your mind. Your well-being is my priority." 

Hermione nodded her understanding. Thankfully, McGonagall turned her attention back to Snape. "Please continue."

"Unbeknown to me, Malfoy has been experimenting with brewing illicit, and worse, illegal potions full of dark magic." 

Hermione felt Snape's outrage again through their connection. It was fascinating to observe. Inwardly, he was furious with Draco, and even angrier with himself. Outwardly, he appeared to be serenity itself. The only sign of his anger was his clenched fists and the ferocity with which he spoke. 

"Miss Granger was forced to drink the potion." 

When Snape's control slipped again, Hermione realized that what she had sensed from him before was nothing compared to the flames of the full measure of his rage. The sensation was gone in an instant, but she was rocked to her core by the intensity of his fury. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, lowered her gaze to her clasped hands and concentrated on leashing her dispair. She knew most of Snape's anger was directed at Draco and the situation. She couldn't help but wonder how much of it was also because of her. After all, if she hadn't been so careless, neither of them would be in this position. She sighed softly. She wouldn't blame him one bit.

"I found a vial on the table and examined the remains of the liquid inside. That's when I discovered it was a dark aphrodisia." He shifted in his chair. "I ordered Malfoy and his friends to return to the castle." 

He faltered for the first time. "Miss Granger was in excruciating torment..." 

Hermione raised her head. "Professor Snape and I had intercourse, Headmistress. It was the only way to stop the more obvious effects of that dreadful potion. To be honest, if he hadn't, I would have gone mad." She said matter-of-factly.

Snape ground his teeth. "Miss Granger gave as much consent as she was capable of, under the circumstances."

Hermione turned to him, exasperated. "We have already discussed this, for Merlin's sake! With Draco it would have been rape. He gave me no choice at all." She laid a hand on his arm. "On the other hand, Prof—Severus, you gave me at least three different opportunities to stop or continue. You even offered to send for Ron Bloody Weasley for crying out loud! Yes, I was suffering from the effects of the potion—but I believe with all my heart that I gave you my consent. Please stop beating yourself up about it, okay?"

Snape's lips tightened. Hermione felt his inner conflict through their bond for a moment before it was gone again. She opened her mind in order to show him that she was sincere. He was so closed off; she wasn't sure how successful she had been. Touching him had sparked the magic again, so she reined in her emotions and pulled her hand back. 

"Severus, Hermione is right. Stop wallowing." The Headmistress said briskly. "If she says you had no other alternative I believe her. I know you well enough to know that if there had been any other way to stop the effects of that potion, you would have employed it." 

"Yes. Well. Believe it or not, there's more."

McGonagall's eyebrows climbed toward her hairline. "Continue."

"After we—finished—we felt a wave of magic flow across us as a spell was completed. We returned to my lab and I was able to confirm that the potion that Draco forced Hermione to ingest was not merely an extremely powerful aphrodisia. He has incorporated _Continuatus Conjugium_ into it."

McGonagall inhaled sharply and would have spoken but was stilled when Snape held up a hand.

"I believe that Malfoy made a mistake when he was brewing the batch he used today. Miss Granger and I have been bound together magically, but there is another element too. We have a strong empathetic connection."

"I see." The Headmistress turned to Hermione. "Has Professor Snape explained the effects of that particular binding potion in its original form?"

"Yes."

"Well." McGonagall said. "This is a very difficult situation that Mr. Malfoy has foisted on us. While the binding is troublesome enough, it is the empathetic connection, in my opinion, which is of greater consequence." She pinned Snape with a glance. "Does Occluding help?"

"Somewhat. However, we have discovered that if one of us becomes too emotional the other feels it and is compelled to respond."

"That will be a problem."

"Obviously."

"If the empathetic bond is so compelling that even your great skill cannot shut it out, then Hermione must learn Occlumency as well, and there is no better teacher than you."

Snape started to object. "Headmistress that...isn't wise. We would be put into close contact every day and…"

"Severus Snape!" McGonagall interrupted sharply. "I understand your concern and I share it. However, you must face the fact that you and Miss Granger are, for all intents and purposes, hand-fasted. Based on what you've told me, unless you are able to come up with an antidote, this bonding is permanent, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"As I feared. What worries me is what would be the likely result if you two try to avoid being together. I've seen _Continuatus Conjugium_ at work. It was used surreptitiously on a dear friend of mine many years ago. Afterward, whenever Anne tried to separate herself from the villainous swine she was bonded to…" Minerva looked between Hermione and Snape. "She was drawn right back to him whenever he wanted her." Minerva snapped her fingers. "Just like that. She killed herself in the end. Fortunately, that action killed him too. That's the 'Continuatus' part of the potion."

Severus was shocked into silence. 

McGonagall continued in a milder tone. "An actual hand-fasting would be my first suggestion, however, that would require one of you to leave the school. Since I'm presuming that isn't an option for either of you?" She paused long enough to see them both shake their heads. "Well then, you have no choice but to spend time together privately. Thus Occlumency lessons."

"Headmistress—I agree," Hermione said. "Once I learn to Occlude, things should be much easier for the two of us. A double barrier, if you will. There's just one problem with the plan." Her face was troubled. "What will I tell my friends? I can't say I'm having Occlumency lessons—they'll want to know why. You both know how Harry gets if he thinks one of his friends is in trouble…"

"It's none of his bloody business." Snape growled.

"Of course it isn't!" Hermione snapped. "When has anything being 'none of his business' ever mattered to him? For Merlin's sake, the three of us went after the bloody Philosopher's Stone in our first year! If he gets too curious, or thinks I'm in any sort of trouble, he'll use that cloak of his to snoop. I don't want to think about what will happen if he finds out what Malfoy has done."

"She's right." McGonagall sighed and sat back in her chair. 

Snape crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.

"If I might make a suggestion?" Dumbledore's portrait above the fireplace spoke up.

"Only if it's sensible." Minerva said with the irritably of someone who had listened to more than her share of foolishness. 

" _I_ believe it is. Severus, my boy, you will, of course be working to find an antidote to that potion?"

"Of course. Fortunately, there was a small amount of the potion left in the vial, so I can begin my research right away."

"I suspect you may need an assistant."

"You bloody well know I've never needed an assistant!"

Dumbledore continued placidly as if Snape had not spoken. "And Hermione needs a reason for frequent visits to the potions lab. I suggest the subterfuge of a N.E.W.T. potions project."

Hermione's heart was beating so hard she was sure everyone could hear it. Her heightened emotional state triggered the bond. She began doing multiplication tables in her head—the sixes and sevens—in order to keep her emotions shielded from Severus. His side-eye glare told her how successful that had been. She shrugged apologetically.

"I think that's a good suggestion. It's a workable cover story. My friends will have no trouble believing that I'd agree to do a N.E.W.T. level project in potions. I've wittered on about my intention to pursue a Potions Master designation so much that their eyes glaze over when I bring it up." 

Minerva looked relieved. "Yes, a very good story, indeed. Thank you, Albus." 

Snape scowled. "Draco Malfoy is no fool. He will suspect what has happened."

Dumbledore spoke up again. "Ah, but you indicated that this new potion was experimental. He attempted to blend two different dark potions into one." Dumbledore pondered for a moment before he continued. "If I remember correctly, in order for _Continuatus Conjugium_ to be most effective as a binding agent, it must be taken within hours of being brewed." He raised an eyebrow at Snape, who nodded in agreement. "That's where to plant the seed of doubt. Experimental potions are so tricky to duplicate, you know. So many errors to be made." 

Snape’s lip curled. "Draco is a skilled brewer. He has successfully made this potion at least twice, if my observation of Miss Parkinson and Miss Ichabod are correct."

"Yes, you're right," Hermione agreed. "They were both under the influence of it—and perhaps something else as well--they were compelled to obey his commands."

"With his arrogance, it's unlikely he will believe this one failed." Snape grumbled.

"But," Hermione mused. "He didn't have the potion book the second time, Professor. He had put it back on the shelf where you found it. Perhaps he made an error when he copied it...?" She chewed her lip. "I don't think he'll be able to resist taunting me about what happened. I can suggest that to him when he does." 

McGonagall spoke up. "It's worth a try, Hermione." She looked at Snape. "Severus, just imagine how frustrated he will be…when he is watching for the result of his malicious work and not seeing it because you and Miss Granger aren't behaving in the way he expects." She smiled for the first time. "I have every confidence that you two will be able to bamboozle him." 

She sobered and turned her attention to Hermione. "Miss Granger, you have the more difficult task, I'm afraid. You must endeavor to control your emotions until you learn enough Occlumency to shield them from Severus. No one can suspect what has happened, for your sake, and the Professor's. Can you continue for now as though you did not have this connection?"

"I think so. Of course, Professor Snape is doing most of the work right now—but with some Occlumency training, I am confident I will be able to lift some of the burden from him."

"I'm most concerned about now...the time before you learn the skill. If you cannot control your emotions, we will have to take more drastic measures—perhaps memory modification…?" She looked over her glasses at the young witch.

Hermione stiffened her back and her resolve. She'd seen what memory modification had done to her parents. "That won't be necessary. I will do my best. I've got the rest of the weekend to get a head start. I can do it."

"Excellent." McGonagall summoned a slim book and sent it toward Hermione with a wave of her hand. "Begin by reading this and doing some of the exercises." Her voice was grave. "Professor Snape cannot function if he is bombarded by your emotions and feelings. To maintain the subterfuge, you must succeed."

Hermione caught the book and looked at the title. _The Art of Occlumency_. "Thank you."

Dumbledore's portrait spoke up again. "Hermione, you might also try to emulate Mr. Spock."

"What nonsense are you on about now?" Minerva snapped.

"Star Trek, of course. An excellent Muggle television program that I was fortunate enough to be exposed to in the 1960s during a vacation trip to America. Mr. Spock is a half-alien from the logical planet Vulcan where emotion was frowned upon. He experienced emotions, but he suppressed them using logic..."

"If you don't have something more sensible to contribute, please remove yourself to your other painting."

"I've used the technique myself, Minerva."

Hermione interrupted quickly. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, I know who Mr. Spock is...my Dad introduced me to Star Trek. I will keep your suggestion in mind." She turned back to Minerva. "Headmistress, I promise that if I am not able to shield my thoughts—if it becomes too difficult for Professor Snape to cope—I will agree to the memory modification, if you think it will help."

"It won't." Snape's retort was curt. "In fact, without the recollection of how the binding occurred, a memory charm might make things worse."

"He's right." Dumbledore agreed. "The Occlumency lessons and N.E.W.T. potions project is the best plan to mislead everyone. Along with cool logic." 

"Any other suggestions for ways to occupy my copious amounts of free time?" Snape said through gritted teeth. 

"Severus, don't be churlish." McGonagall said. "Don't forget our third problem, as if we needed another. The Ministry and the journalists who will be here in a week. Rita Skeeter and Draco have collaborated before."

Hermione sighed. "During the Tri-Wizard Tournament in our fourth year. At least now she's a registered Animagus."

"Yes, and I intend to extract a few Ministry guarantees regarding her behavior while she's here. The Minister mentioned that the Department of Mysteries had made some kind of discovery…and I will have to make sure that she is somehow banned from morphing and if that's not possible, then from Hogwarts' grounds." 

She noticed Hermione yawning behind her hand. "Hermione, you've had a trying day. It is past time for you to return to your room. Remember your cover story. And remember too that, if you need any additional help in dealing with today's events, please let me, or another professor, know."

Hermione felt Snape's increased anxiety. "Don’t worry, Headmistress." She was responding to one person while reassuring the other. "I really don’t believe it's anybody's business if I decide to take on a project in N.E.W.T. level potions. And thank you, I'll remember."

"Miss Granger." Snape reached into a pocket, pulled out a small vial and handed it to her. "Dreamless Sleep. Please use it tonight."

"Thank you, I will." She pocketed the vial and rose from the sofa. 

"If you leave now," Minerva informed her. "You should arrive back in the Gryffindor common room just after curfew. If you do happen to cross paths with Mr. Filch or Mrs. Norris, just tell them you were meeting with us regarding your project."

"Okay." Hermione rose, tucked the book under her arm, and laid a hand on Snape's rigid shoulder. "Good night, Professor Snape –and—thank you again for pulling me out of the fire today." 

"You are welcome. Good night, Miss Granger." 

Hermione slipped out of the office and headed toward Gryffindor Tower. Along the way, she pondered the strange direction her life had taken since she'd left its comforting walls just this morning.

~~~***~~~

As the door closed behind Hermione, McGonagall turned her attention to the wizard sitting in front of her and she sighed inwardly. Of all people, Severus Snape did not need complications in his life. Again. Merlin knew, he'd already had more than his share. When he'd returned to Hogwarts after his recovery, he had turned down the Headmaster job by saying he wanted to go back to teaching and brewing. That he'd had enough excitement for a lifetime. And now, here he was saddled with an even more troublesome problem in many ways than Voldemort. Her face softened as she observed him. His eyes were closed, his head was bent and he was pinching the bridge of his nose. A minute passed. Two. Finally he sighed.

"Headmistress."

"Yes, Severus?"

"Surely, you are aware that by appointing Miss Granger as my assistant, what happened between us today will more than likely be repeated? In close proximity, neither of us will be able to resist the physical pull of the binding for long—if at all."

"Yes, Severus, I am aware of that."

"She—is—a—student!" 

"I am aware of that fact also. Severus, please look at me." His black eyes met hers and McGonagall saw not only pain, but something she had only seen once before in Severus Snape's fathomless eyes.

Fear.

"My dear friend." Minerva's voice was gentle. "Hermione Granger is 20 years old and therefore, an adult in the Muggle world and ours. You do realize that if the War hadn't happened, she would have finished school more than a year ago? I know that you feel as if your integrity as a teacher is being compromised. But." Her gaze bored into his. "You must accept what has happened, at least for now. For your sake as well as hers. Please remember…trying to remove yourself from close contact with Hermione would make things much worse. You might— _might_ —be able to resist both the binding and the empathetic connection and maybe even retain your sanity, but do you honestly believe Hermione can?" 

"The 'brightest witch of her age'? I wouldn't bet against her."

"Perhaps. It appears to me, based on my observations here tonight, that Hermione is not averse to the binding between you—as I'm sure you're aware." She narrowed her eyes. "I wonder if you are as opposed to it as you would like for me to think?"

Snape crossed his arms and scowled at her. But he didn't deny it. 

Minerva waved a hand and a bottle sailed into the room and settled on the table. She transfigured their cups into tumblers and poured a measure of the golden liquid into each and then floated one over to Snape. "If you can bring yourself to accept the binding, things will be easier for you both."

He caught the glass, raised it to his lips and sipped. "The good stuff? You must be worried."

Minerva rewarded his attempt at humor with a small smile. "I am—a little. I studied _Continuatus Conjugium_ in depth when I was trying to help Anne. It is ghastly when it's used against someone's will. Yes, I know," she stopped him from interrupting with a raised hand. "I know that it was used on Hermione against her will and against yours too. However, Hermione appears to be amenable to the binding. You...haven't rejected it outright. That makes a huge difference." Minerva finished her drink and poured another. 

"You both will yearn to be together. If you try to restrict your contact with each other, the magic will compel one or both of you to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Do you comprehend what I'm telling you? Anything. Are you willing to risk having the binding revealed in front of everyone? In the Great Hall? Potions class?" McGonagall took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Severus, the only way to deal with this is to accept it for now and work toward a solution. I know it will be difficult for both of you. Most especially you."

Severus set down his empty glass and changed the subject. "What are you going to do about Draco? I presume he returned to the castle as I ordered?"

"I have not heard that he is missing—but curfew has just rung. For now, I'm not sure what to do about Draco. My first instinct is to expel him at once and turn him over to the Aurors. That would mean a highly publicized trial—which is the last thing that any of us wants—and then: Azkaban." She sipped her drink thoughtfully. "But, from what you've told me, I fear that Draco is suffering from some sort of mental collapse—Post Traumatic Stress, perhaps?"

Snape leaned forward in the chair. "I think you are correct about Draco having a nervous collapse as a result of his wartime experiences. As you know, I tried to shield him as much as I could from the worst of the Dark Lord's whims, but I was not always successful, especially at the end. My suspicion is that, once I was not there to protect him, the others abused him in terrible ways. Physically, mentally and--" Severus downed the rest of his drink. "--well, I'm sure you heard the rumors about the baser activities of the Death Eaters?" 

"Everyone did. I thought it was a load of tosh, myself. Rumors spread around to add even more terror to the public."

Severus splashed more Scotch into his glass and sipped it. "Minerva, the rumors were true. All of the depraved rumors you heard about and more. They all happened." He looked into her eyes. "They happened to me when I first joined--and once I was made Headmaster and was no longer at the Manor--I'm sure they happened to Draco, too." He cleared his throat. "An experience like that effects one in various ways. I believe that Draco is doing some of this to make sure he can trust the people around him. That he can control the way he interacts with them. One thing that might have helped him is contributing to the repair of Hogwarts. I know that many people, myself included, were helped by the castle's magic as we worked. Unfortunately, Draco has spent most of the time since the War with his frivolous mother in the south of France. If only I'd been at the Manor--they wouldn't have dared--" He was overcome and stopped to gather himself.

"Severus, what happened to that young wizard wasn't your fault. You did what you could to shield him. His parents however...could have served him better." Minerva said. "I heard that Narcissa divorced Lucius while he was in Azkaban and then took off to France with Draco." She muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'heartless bitch' before she continued. "It would have helped Draco heal immensely if he had been here to help with the castle's repair, rather than gallivanting around the French countryside. As you know, Hogwarts healed everyone as it was being healed. But--there is still more work to be done." Her expression became thoughtful. 

"His mother tried to enroll him at Beauxbatons and they refused to take him," Snape told her. "When Lucius was released from Azkaban before the start of the new school year, Narcissa sent Draco to live at the Manor again while she remains in France. Lucius told me that Draco spent as little time as possible in the house. That he changed rooms--wouldn't sleep in his childhood bedroom. Absolutely refused to go into the lower levels for any reason. Being at the place where the abuse occurred must have made that young wizard's mental health worse. Since he returned to school, I've observed some troubling things about Draco." Snape ticked them off on his fingers. "He's always on edge. He is watchful and startles easily. I don't think he's sleeping very well. He might be using Dreamless Sleep to help, but as you know, that's not a long-term solution. I've had complaints from some of the other students in Slytherin house about his angry outbursts."

"You've just described a textbook case of PTSD." The Headmistress sighed. "However, that does not excuse his behavior. Draco will have to be punished. But I don't believe expulsion or Magical Law Enforcement is the answer. _We_ have to help him."

Snape pursed his lips. "As you wish. We should bring in Lucius, both to let him know what has happened and to give him the opportunity to help his son. I seem to recall, from my brief time as Headmaster, that there is an interim step that can be taken before a student is expelled. Some sort of probation?"

" _Circumscriptio Tutus Finis_ in combination with _Prohibeo Contineo._ " Dumbledore said. "The first is cast around the boundary into which the person will be confined, the second on the person."

Minerva frowned. "We would have to cast _Circumscriptio Tutus Finis_ the night before we cast _Prohibeo Contineo_. That will require four casters to cover all directions."

"If you're willing to assist, Minerva, I count myself, you and Lucius...who else can we bring in on this? I'm not sure I want everyone on the staff to know what's happened." Snape said. "You know as well as I do, if one professor knows--they all know."

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore said promptly. "Or were you excluding her deliberately, Severus?"

"Thank you, Albus," Minerva said. "That will do. Severus, in order to restrict Draco to the Hogwarts grounds, I agree with Dumbledore. However, we cannot cast anything on Draco without his and one of his parents' permission. Will you contact his father? I assure you that you have my full support. I will feign ignorance about everything except for the kidnapping and assault on Miss Granger." 

"I will send an owl to Lucius tomorrow."

"Excellent." She templed her fingers beneath her chin. "Draco will serve detention with me for the foreseeable future. He will assist me with the castle repair project." She speared Snape with a glance. "I have one more request of you. Please try to be more civil to Hermione until she can shield her mind a little."

Snape shook his head. "I have been 'more civil' overall since the War and especially during the N.E.W.T. potions class this year. I cannot change my treatment of her any further if Miss Granger and I are to deceive Mr. Malfoy. She will have to accept that, among other things, while we are engaged in this masquerade."

Minerva sighed. "You are correct, of course. But I have a feeling Hermione Granger may surprise us all, Severus."

~~~***~~~

Iris stood next to the door of Draco's room and chewed on a fingernail. She was wearing the lingerie he'd ordered her to—Merlin, she hated going without knickers!—and was wrapped in a dressing gown of red satin. Luckily, he hadn't said anything about shoes. She knew better than to arrive wearing trainers, so she had chosen kitten-heeled slippers with wispy feathers on the toe. With a low heel. She hated wearing the high heels that Draco preferred.

Fuck me shoes he called them. 

Iris gathered her courage. Turning up late would only make Draco angrier. She took a deep breath and knocked.

The door opened, she stepped inside and it closed behind her. Iris' heart started beating faster when she heard the tumbler turn as it locked. She kept her eyes downcast, shrugged out of the dressing gown and hung it on a hook near the door. Then she walked over to the foot of the bed and stood with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Very nice, Iris." Draco's voice raised the hairs on the back of her neck. "You managed to enter the room without stumbling. Well," his voice became mocking. "You are wearing low heels, after all. Careless of me not to be more specific. But since you chose a sexy pair, I'll overlook it this time. In the future, when you are summoned, you will wear a pair fuck me shoes. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Draco."

"So, Goyle, what do you think?"

"I think that all that lovely milk-white skin needs a few red stripes to make it perfect."

Iris' blood ran cold. She'd expected to be slapped around followed by rough sex from Draco first and then Goyle. That was the usual so-called punishment. 

"You know, Goyle. I think you're right. I think that would be both attractive and would serve to remind Iris that there are consequences for improper behavior. Iris, look at me."

Iris fought down her fear and raised her eyes to meet Draco's. He was sitting in a chair across from her, beside the fireplace, and Goyle was sitting in another. Both wizards were clad in nothing except boxers, so their erections were obvious. Goyle was caressing his but Draco held a slim bamboo cane in one hand and tapped it against his thigh. Tap, tap, tap.

"I'm not sure how many times I've had to punish you for your lack of grace, Iris, but since my attempts to correct your poor behavior in this area haven't worked, I have asked Goyle to assist me tonight."

Iris felt the blood drain from her face. She flicked her eyes at Goyle for a moment. In that brief glance, she was reminded that most of his fat had turned to hard muscle. And he was huge. Everything about him screamed raw strength and brutality. It was bad enough when he fucked her...but this...

Her mouth went dry. 

"I am sure that after this correction, you will be more graceful in the future." Draco looked her over from head to toe and when his eyes reached her face again, he smiled. "It'll be fifty strokes of the cane. Goyle will go first, and then he'll fuck your mouth. Then it's my turn. I'll do as I please." His smile became predatory. He handed the cane to Goyle and dropped his hand to his erection. "I want you, Iris. Can you feel my desire?"

The binding magic activated and her desire roared to life in response to Draco's lust for her. 

"Take off your bra, turn toward the bed and place your hands on the bedposts." 

Iris complied while Draco approached her from behind. " _Incarcerous_." Four ropes flew out of his wand. Two wrapped themselves around her wrists, pulling her arms up, and then the ends of the ropes tied themselves to the top of the bedposts. The other two ropes tied themselves around her ankles, pulled her legs apart, and then fastened themselves to the legs of the footboard. 

Iris tested the ropes and discovered she couldn't move her arms or legs at all. She opened her mouth to object, and Draco kissed her hard. He slipped his hand between her legs and teased her clit, increasing the intensity of her desire for him. When Draco released her, he tapped her throat with his wand. 

" _Silencio_." His smile was feral. "No noise tonight, Iris. Now, it's time to begin the correction." He stepped back, out of her line of sight. "Okay, Goyle. Remember. Just twenty-five strokes. Don't break the skin. And keep to her back and ass so the pretty stripes don't show."

"You've got it, boss." There was a pause. As it grew, so did Iris' dread which dampened her ardor. There was a swishing sound and flame seemed to scorch her skin where the cane made contact.

"One." Goyle's voice was thick with lust.

No one heard her scream.

~~~***~~~

Hermione arrived at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room and stood in front of the Fat Lady's portrait to gather her thoughts. She would have to give one of the best performances of her life the moment she walked in the door and she had nothing.

"Well, are you going in?" The Fat Lady asked.

"In a minute." Hermione snapped.

"Tsk, tsk—excuse me for speaking!" 

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave up. She was exhausted both physically and mentally. She wanted her room, her cat and a bath, in that order. She was in no mood to deal with Harry or Ginny, but she knew she must get past them in order to get to her room. There was no predicting what they might do or say, so she decided to just wing it. She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. "Bailiwick."

She ignored the Fat Lady's muttered 'about time, too' as the portrait swung open and she stepped into the common room. Harry and Ginny were in their usual place—together on a chair in front of the fire, snogging. They looked up and smiled in unison when they recognized her. She smiled back, crossed the room and threw herself onto the sofa, making sure the title of the book she had was hidden against her body.

"Where the hell did you disappear to this afternoon?" Harry demanded querulously.

"Not that it's any of your business, Harry." His tone made her angry. "I went to the Hog's Head for a drink. I ran into some...fr-friends there." 

"Sorry," Harry had the grace to flush. "We were worried. We looked all over for you. We never thought to look there, though. I haven't been back since the War. Has Aberforth improved it any?"

"No." Hermione answered. "It's as bad as ever. I don't think I'll go back." 

"I should think not." Ginny’s voice was reproachful. 

Hermione bristled. "Again—I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm sorry you were worried, but I've got a mum and dad, thanks!" 

Harry leaned over and looked searchingly into her face. "Are you okay?"

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?"

"How come you're so damned touchy then?" 

"Aside from the fact that my friends are acting more like a couple of mother hens?" 

"Okay, okay—sorry, Hermione." Harry said. "It's not like you to get back after curfew, though. May I ask, since you're my friend and I'm interested in what you do, what kept you?" 

Hermione decided to ignore his sarcasm because he'd just given her a perfect opening. She smiled. "I ran into Professor McGonagall when I got back to the castle and she asked me to come to her office. I don't know if I told you, but last week I asked her to speak to Professor Snape about doing a project for N.E.W.T. level Potions. You know that I'm going for a Master designation, but Professor Snape doesn't usually assign any extra credit at N.E.W.T. level. Luckily for me, he is working on an antidote for a particularly nasty potion and needs an assistant. Guess who got her N.E.W.T. project and extra brewing time with our own Potions Master?” She raised her hand with a lop-sided grin. "I've been assigned extra reading already." She indicated the book without showing them the title.

"Well, you did ask for it, Hermione!" Ginny said. "You could have said 'no', you know." 

"And give up the chance to assist the preeminent Potions Master of our time? Why would I do that? I am excited about the work Professor Snape is doing. Plus, it'll look good on my school record when I apply for apprenticeships." _As if she would apprentice with anyone other than Severus._ "In the end it will be worth the extra work." 

"Hermione, only you could make extra potions work sound like the most reasonable thing in the world!" Ginny laughed. "I'm glad I don't have to take Potions anymore." 

Harry smiled at his girlfriend. "You don't need Potions for Quidditch. Unfortunately, I have to have at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' in Potions this year if I want to be an Auror. Luckily, Snape seems to have mellowed a bit toward me since the War ended." Harry grinned at Hermione. "I don't envy you." 

"He'd 'mellow' even more if you would stop letting Malfoy wind you up. Honestly, it's not worth it, Harry."

"I'm just supposed to sit there and let him get away with it?"

"He's not getting away with anything except getting you into trouble. You won't get an 'Exceeds Expectations' from Professor Snape if you don't belt up in class." Hermione said.

"Too right," Ginny agreed. "Besides, Hermione can take care of herself."

Harry had the grace to look abashed. "Okay, okay. You don't have to gang up on me." His face became serious. "Hermione, I promise to ignore the Ferret no matter what the provocation. That way, the Greasy Git can focus his bad temper on someone else for a change. Ugh, I still can't believe you've volunteered to spend more time with him."

"First--stop calling him that in front of me. He saved us all during the War, and he saved you Harry Potter, more times than the rest of us put together." Hermione took a deep breath and reined in her anger. "I'm fed up with people slagging him off. I am really looking forward to working with him and it hurts me when you say things like that. Don't you understand what a fantastic opportunity this is for me?" 

"Sorry, Hermione. Old habits, I guess. You're right, we wouldn't have won if it wasn't for Professor Snape." Harry was contrite. "I'm happy for you, truly."

"Thanks, Harry. I think I’ll go up." She waved the book. "I want to get started on this. Good night." 

"Good night, Hermione." Harry said. 

Ginny smiled. "Congratulations! It sounds like you've had some good luck today. Pleasant dreams!" 

Hermione escaped up the stairs, dropped the wards on her door, slipped inside, and then closed and warded it again. She was glad to have made it past the first hurdle with her friends. They had swallowed that cover story completely and without question. She smiled to herself. It was a good start. She put the Occlumency book on her bedside table.

Crookshanks looked up from his place on her bed, cocked his head and looked at her. "Merrow?" 

Hermione gathered him up and hugged him. He put his large paws on her shoulder, rubbed his head against her chin and began to purr. She scratched him behind the ears. "It's been a hell of a day, Crooks."

He purred louder and kneaded her with his paws. Hermione held him for a bit longer, and then she set him back down. He sat on her bed and curled his tail around his feet. He continued to watch her as she filled his food dish and changed his water. Once she was sure her companion's needs had been met, Hermione was ready for a hot bath.

She stripped off her clothes and incinerated them with a thought. She would never wear them again.

She went into the bathroom, turned on the taps and then added some fragrant bath soap. Once the tub was full of hot, sudsy water, she stepped into it and leaned back with a sigh.

~~~***~~~

Snape's anger returned after he left Minerva's office. On his way back to the dungeon, an unfortunate Ravenclaw Third Year happened across his path and was docked five points for being out past curfew, another five for walking too slowly, and then ten for running.

It didn't make him feel any better.

He made it back to his quarters without encountering any more students, faculty or ghosts. Luckily for them. After he closed and warded the door, Snape strode over to the sideboard and poured himself a large Firewhiskey. He drank it down, poured another and drank that one straight down as well. He closed his eyes and felt the whiskey's warmth envelop him like a well-worn glove. His tension eased and he rolled his shoulders.

Snape toed off his shoes, and then magicked off his robes and coat and banished them to the laundry. Snape splashed more of the amber liquid into the glass and then took it with him as he walked into the sitting room, unbuttoning his shirt collar as he went. He ignited the fire with a wandless _Incendio_ , and then settled down on the sofa. He made himself comfortable in one corner and stretched his legs out along the length of it. He set down his glass, removed his cufflinks and sent them sailing back to his bureau as he rolled up his cuffs. He picked up his drink, leaned his head back and sipped it as he pondered the astounding events of the day.

What a fucking mess, he thought. He took another swallow of the whiskey. He wondered idly if the empathetic element of that thrice-damned potion was a new addition or simply a mistake. It was a place to start, anyway. 

Snape finished his drink and it took a couple of tries to put the glass back onto the table. Good. He was quite pleasantly drunk. His thoughts turned back to Hermione and he recalled how she had told him—to his face! —that not only had she had always admired him, she had liked him "for ages". Hermione…liked and admired him. She'd said it out loud, right here in this room. If it hadn't been for their connection, he would have accused her of having him on. Hermione Granger, the cleverest witch of her age, fancied him. 

Minerva had been right when she'd observed that he wasn't completely averse to the idea of a relationship with Hermione. Clever Hermione. Lovely Hermione. His Hermione.

_Merlin, I'm drunk._ He Accioed a hangover potion. It settled down onto the table beside his empty glass. Feeling that he was now prepared for anything, his thoughts drifted back to Hermione.

Hermione. He liked the way her name sounded. Hermione. Hermione. Hermione.

He frowned. _No. Not allowed to call her 'Hermione'—it has to be stuffy 'Miss Granger'. Got to be careful not to let out the secret. The secret. They were bound together—possibly forever. Forever doesn't seem as horrible now as it did at breakfast. Because Hermione fancied him. Well, I think I fancy her too. Merlin, I'm drunk. Minerva said we are as good as hand-fasted. It's a shame we aren't because then we could be getting on with more of what we did this afternoon. Can't wait to do more of that. Minerva said we're allowed. Fantastic._

The memory of Hermione's naked body floated across Snape's mind. His thoughts drifted to the image of her reclining in the bed and how she watched him with fevered eyes full of desire. Her erect, pink-tipped nipples that crowned her full breasts. _I didn't spend enough time worshiping those breasts_ , he thought with regret.

~~~***~~~

Hermione's eyes snapped open. Wherever he was, Severus' defenses were down and he yearned for her. His desire seared through their link and triggered the spell. The intensity of his longing elicited a soft gasp and memories flooded her mind as she became aroused.

The way Severus' black eyes had smoldered when he'd looked at her. His well-muscled shoulders and chest with just the right amount of hair. His flat stomach. Long legs. Huge cock. Kisses that worshiped her mouth. The feel of his hands on her body. Her hands became his as she slid them over her soapy breasts and teased her nipples to hard peaks with a small sigh. Next they drifted down her body until her fingers tangled in the hair at the apex of her thighs. She spread her legs and teased herself with the lightest of touches. 

_Severus was drawing things out…inflaming her passion…tormenting her in the very best of ways…brushing her curls but not venturing into her aching center…no…not yet…_

~~~***~~~

Snape felt her response. He devoured her in his mind’s eye; the soft belly, the damp, dark thatch of curls between her legs. The way her scent had ensnared him. How she had devoured his body with her eyes and been pleased with what she saw. That she wanted him, longed for him, craved him.

He groaned, unbuttoned his trousers and caressed his erection. He couldn't forget the way her eyes had burned with passion—when had a woman ever looked at him like that? —as she lay back on the bed, spread her legs and revealed the rose-petal folds of her sex to him. 

He released his aching cock and started to stroke it slowly as he remembered the way her own lovely body had felt when she pressed it against him…how she covered his face and neck with hot, open-mouthed kisses…how their mouths met…how her hands had drifted down, down…and then she had taken him in hand…oh gods, it felt good…

His cock was slick with pre-come and he stroked it harder as he relived the moment that she had ordered him to fuck her and he'd sheathed himself in her in one stroke…and then began to move...his fist tightened and his strokes became faster…oh she had been so hot and tight and willing …

~~~***~~~

Hermione spread her legs and touched herself where she ached the most…and it was Severus' fingers on her clit…teasing, teasing…until she begged him to let her come…

Hermione arched her hips against her hand as she worked her clit…worked it…she was close, close, close…and then…

Her orgasm broke over her. "YES! Oh yes, Severus, yes, yes, yes!"

~~~***~~~

Snape felt her climax through their bond; could almost feel her pussy convulsing around his cock.

"Oh, yes, Hermione, yes," he groaned as he tumbled over the cliff of ecstasy and into nirvana. 

After his breathing returned to normal, Snape performed the cleansing charm, tucked himself in and did up his trousers. Suddenly sober, he castigated himself for giving in to the seduction of the unparalleled intimacy of the bond. He wasn't prepared for this; the fact that a mere thought of her would trigger the magic and he would be able to feel, almost physically, what she was feeling. Which meant that she felt his responses to her as well. 

Severus wasn't as bothered by that thought as he might have been yesterday. Experiencing her responses as well as his own was the most intimate thing he'd ever felt. It would be so easy to just give in to the pull of their bond and damn the consequences. Merlin knew, he longed to do just that. 

Snape scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed. No. There was more at stake here than just the binding. He had to stick to the plan, which meant teaching Hermione to shield her mind from him and he must continue to shield his from her. He could not allow the warmth of their magical connection to seduce him—even though it represented everything he never knew he wanted. It would destroy him if he allowed himself to become emotionally involved with Hermione only to have her reject him after they found an antidote. 

As he tossed down the hangover potion, in the deepest part of his mind, he knew it was already too late.

~~~***~~~

Pansy checked the clock for the third time in the last five minutes. Iris had left at seven and it was now after eleven.

Ten minutes later, when she was trying to gather the courage to go to Draco's room, there was a soft knock on her door. Pansy hurried across the room and flung it open. Iris staggered a few steps into the room and then collapsed. Pansy closed and locked the door with a thought as she dropped to the floor beside her friend.

" _Iris_?" She touched the other witch's back and snatched her hand back when Iris shrieked. "Oh, that prick—what did he do?" Pansy Accioed her wand. She vanished Iris' dressing gown and her mouth fell open in horror. 

Angry, red welts in a crosshatch pattern covered Iris' back, buttocks and the backs of her thighs. Several of the welts looked like the skin had been broken and then healed. Her wrists and ankles were raw and bruised. There were bruises on her arms, legs and ass and a hand print on her face. 

Iris licked her lips. "Thirsty."

Pansy Summoned a glass of cold water and a washcloth. She dunked the corner of the washcloth into the water to soak it and then pressed it against Iris' lips. Iris sucked the water out of the cloth. Pansy continued feeding water to Iris until she signaled she'd had enough. Pansy used the damp cloth to wipe Iris' face.

She wet the cloth again and laid it across Iris' back. The other girl flinched violently. "I'm sorry!" 

"S'okay, Pans. Just stings a bit. Add a cooling charm, would you? Ah, better, thanks."

Pansy moved the cloth and renewed the cooling charm several times. When she had finished, she pressed her lips together to hold back her tears. "I'm going to move you to the bed. But first, I have to check your front, okay?"

Iris nodded. "Hurts, but not as bad as the back."

_"Mobilicorpus_!" Pansy lifted Iris' body and turned it. Her breasts were bruised, as were her inner thighs. "You're right, Iris. There's some pretty bad bruises here, but nothing like your back. _Accio_ healing potion!" The bottle sailed into her hand and she uncorked it and put it up to Iris' lips. She drank it down and then sighed. 

"Okay, now I'm going to move you over to the bed and lay you down on your stomach so I can use the healing ointment." Pansy matched her action to her words, settling Iris carefully on the bed. She picked up the jar of ointment from the bedside table and spread it gently over the worst of the welts on Iris' body.

"Thanks, Pans. Feel better already." Iris' mouth crooked up on one side. 

Pansy's eyes filled. "What did he do to you? Do you want to talk about it?"

Iris' eyes welled up too. "You don't want to know."

"Iris, you took a beating and more for me. The least I can do is listen. If you want to talk."

Tears rolled down Iris' cheek. "It was hor-horrible. Worse than ever be-before." She swiped at the tears. "Goyle _was_ there, like we figured. He brought a bamboo stick...cane. I got fif-fifty lashes. Twenty-twenty fi-fi-five each."

"Those mother fuckers."

"After…after…" A sob choked her. 

Pansy used _Mobilicorpus_ again to raise Iris, and quickly got into the bed with her. Then she brought Iris back down so that she was in Pansy's arms. 

Iris buried her face in Pansy's shoulder and wept; deep, guttural sobs that seemed to be torn from her uncontrollably. Pansy laid her cheek on Iris' head and crooned soothing nonsense. Several minute later, when the initial storm had passed, Pansy conjured a handkerchief and handed it to the other girl who blew her nose. 

"Draco tied me up, of course. I don't know why it has to be ropes all the time with him! He let Goyle go first. You know how strong that brute is. Twenty-five strokes with the cane to start. I've never felt such pain. The binding magic faded to nothing because if it, so I didn't even have that to help me cope. I screamed but no one could hear me. Good old Silencing charm. Oh, I cried, shook my head no. Goyle said my tears turned him on even more." She wiped her eyes again. "After he was through with the cane, I was untied, forced to my knees and then tied again in a kneeling position. Oh, I pleaded silently with Draco—please, please no—no—no! Shook my head. Was crying uncontrollably by that point. But he just sneered that I had no say in the matter and told Goyle to continue. So Goyle stuck his fat cock down my throat. I gagged and gagged. You know I'm no good at blow jobs on the best of days, and this was ghastly. He wasn't allowed to fuck my pussy or ass tonight, so he fucked my throat. He kept choking off my air with his prick, telling me to breathe through my nose. I don't know how that dumb fuck expected me to do that when it was full of snot. I nearly vomited, so he slapped my face and then stuck his cock down my throat again. I don't know how long it took…it seemed like forever before he finally came. Draco told me to swallow it and if I didn't I'd get fifty more with the cane when they were through. I don't know how I kept it down. Terror, most likely." 

Tears stung Pansy's eyes as she stroked Iris' hair. "I'm so sorry. It should have been me."

"Draco tied me back to the bedposts. He was so turned on by watching what Goyle did, it triggered the spell again. But it only lasted as long as his first strike with that cane. He's not used to using it like Goyle apparently is, so he hurt me. Bad. Broke the skin. Several times. He didn't have the control—just wailed on me until he'd counted twenty-five. Luckily, Goyle knows a healing charm and used it to close the wounds—stop the bleeding. Not the pain." She sniffed. "When Draco finished with the cane, he raped me. Both ways. It hurt so bad." Her eyes filled with tears again. "He's fucked me in the ass before, but he's always prepared me first—you know." Pansy nodded. "Not this time. Just from the pussy to the ass." She shuddered. "By the time he finished, I was almost unconscious from the pain. Draco grabbed me by the hair and told me that if I screwed up again, the punishment would be worse. He had Goyle carry me over. I asked him to put me down outside your door. I guess he felt sorry for me, because he put me down and then knocked for me. Told me to try to do better." She chuckled then winced.

"Oh Iris, I wish you wouldn't always take Draco's tantrums onto yourself!"

"Pansy—I don't believe you would have made it through with your sanity. You act tough, but you're not."

Her tears spilled over. "Draco's behavior is getting scarier every day. I don't know what I ever saw in him."

"You're right. I-I can't go through this again. Pansy—I—I think we have to tell Professor Snape what's going on."

"After what he saw this afternoon in that room? Do you think he'd listen? Or believe us?" Pansy scoffed.

"Why wouldn't he? If he fucked Granger, then he's in the same boat with us—and so is she."

"Which will make him even madder at us for not coming to him sooner." Pansy looked into Iris' eyes. "I don't feel comfortable with the idea of telling Snape or any of the teachers right now. It's not just Draco who would be in trouble and probably expelled, you know."

"That's probably going to happen anyway. Fine, okay, not Snape." Iris sighed and closed her eyes. After a few moments she said, "It will have to be Granger."

Pansy made a rude noise. "Sure, just walk right up and say 'Hey, Granger, we realize that Draco is mad and we need your help'. She'll say we got what we deserve and she'll be right." 

Iris pushed herself up with a wince in order to look into Pansy's eyes. "No, I don't believe she will say anything like that at all. Granger is Gryffindor, remember? I'm positive that she'll help us. Especially if we mention that we can tell her something about the potion."

Pansy chewed on her bottom lip. "A very Slytherin idea. 'Specially since we don't know anything about that potion."

"Actually--I do. Draco needed help gathering a couple of the ingredients after Snape started warding the potions classroom at night. That is our bargaining chip if we need it. Our biggest problem, as I see it, is that Granger isn't going to agree to meet us anywhere private—not after today. We're going to have to 'accidentally' run into her somewhere and then convince her to listen. Do you know her schedule, apart from Potions?"

"No, but I can find out. You're staying right here where I can take care of you. While I'm out, I'll nick some stronger healing ointment from the infirmary. If your back doesn't heal, you'll miss class and the teachers will ask questions. If we try to say you've got a cold or something, they'll send you to Madame Pomfrey." 

Iris smiled at Pansy, leaned in and kissed her gently. "Thank you, Pans. I'm so glad I had you here tonight."

Pansy drew Iris close. "Me too."


	5. Not Just Another Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione and Snape discuss the N.E.W.T. Potions project and things get out of hand.

Hermione woke up on Sunday morning started to stretch and winced instead. Her whole body ached. 

"Did anyone get the license number of that lorry?" Crookshanks watched her sympathetically from the end of the bed.

Memories of the events of the previous day flooded into her consciousness. Her mind flitted over the assault and landed on the interactions with Severus. First the hard hot fuck from the afternoon which was amazing all on its own, but what happened later...

Warmth enveloped her when she recalled the intimacy they had shared late last night. With their minds linked, she'd experienced his responses, so presumably the opposite was also true. It was the most erotic sensation she'd ever felt—and she wanted to feel it again. 

The magic from the spell hummed and Hermione hurriedly pushed those thoughts away. Now was not the time. She got to her feet with a groan and made her way into her bathroom for a hot shower, hoping to ease some of the ache in her body. After she finished, she wrapped a fluffy terrycloth dressing gown around herself and bundled her hair in a towel on top of her head. 

When she walked back into her room, she spied a tray of assorted fruit, cheese and rolls on her desk, next to a pot of tea under a stasis charm. _What the hell?_ She felt her anxiety ratcheting up until she noticed that Crookshanks was gazing placidly at her from his place on her bed. He wasn't worried. 

Still, she wasn't taking any chances. She Accioed her wand and moved closer to the tray. The potion vial beside the teacup was a clue to the sender's identity, but she checked for dark magic anyway. Once she was satisfied that it was merely a breakfast tray, she picked up the potion. Underneath there was a folded piece of parchment. 

_A healing potion. You'll need it after your ordeal. ~S.S._

Hermione smiled, pleased at his thoughtfulness. She drank the potion and felt better straight away. She prepared a cup of tea, chose an apple and took both to the window nook. She seated herself, positioned the teacup nearby with a hover charm, and then pushed open the window and inhaled the crisp autumn air. It was a beautiful day. The trees showed off their fall glory, a riot of color against a clear blue sky. The grass was still mostly green, which was a lovely contrast. There were students everywhere—strolling around the lake, lounging under the trees and playing games all across the grounds. She munched her apple and sipped her tea as she watched.

A familiar blond head appeared, walking away from the castle. Draco, Goyle and a couple of other Slytherins appeared to be heading toward the Quidditch pitch with their brooms slung over their shoulders. 

Terror seized her. The apple fell from her nerveless fingers as she flung herself away from the window and onto the floor. She Summoned her wand and, keeping herself hidden, stretched up and peered outside. Her heart deluged her body with adrenaline and she remained at full alert until Draco disappeared from sight. Deeply shaken, she leaned against the stone wall, heart pounding and breathing hard. Crookshanks leaped from the bed and rushed to her, insinuating himself into her lap, purring loudly. Hermione hugged him, and as she stroked his fur, she felt herself becoming calm. 

If this was her reaction to seeing him from a distance, how was she ever going to face him in Potions? 

A small brown school owl fluttered to a landing on her windowsill, hopped across the floor, stopped beside her and held out its leg. She removed the parchment and waved the raptor over to her desk where she kept a bowl of owl treats. As the bird fluttered away, Hermione unrolled the paper and read:

_Miss Granger,_  
_I would like to meet with you today to discuss your N.E.W.T. potion project. Would this afternoon at two be convenient?_  
_S. Snape_

It was as if an icicle had been plunged into her heart. After their shared intimacy last night, the thoughtfulness of the Healing and Dreamless Sleep potions and the breakfast tray, she'd started to hope... yet there was nothing in this note that even hinted at any change in their relationship. Her heart fell, trailing its icy tendrils through her.

_What did you expect...a declaration of undying love? Severus can't put anything like that in writing. What if the owl had been intercepted? Here is the first proof of what we discussed in Professor McGonagall's office last night. There must be no sign of our changed relationship...but I'm so scared..._ Tears pooled in her eyes and rolled down her face. _I don't feel safe anymore..._ Her tears fell, unheeded, onto the parchment. 

"I-I ju-just don't feel safe," she whispered. "Severus, I need you."

Hermione put her arms around Crooks, buried her face in his fur and cried. Great, heaving full-body sobs of anguish. _Why did this have to happen to me? What did I ever do to Draco to make him hate me so much? How am I ever going to cope during classes? Oh Circe, I-I'm so scared...Severus...I need you to wrap me in your arms where I'll be safe... I need you so much..._ She rocked back and forth and keened softly.

~~~***~~~

Severus had left his sitting room, made his way through his office and had his hand on the corridor door before he realized that he was responding to the spell. He stopped Occluding and opened his mind to Hermione. Her torment inundated his consciousness. She felt small, frightened and all alone. It seemed that everything had finally caught up with her. Her need of him was so great, he had to start Occluding again in order to have any chance to resist the compulsion to go to her and damn the consequences. He ruthlessly shut out most of her distress, but not all. Severus had to fight his way back to his sitting room. He sat down heavily and dropped his head into his hands. His heart ached for Hermione. Remaining in this room in the face of her suffering was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

~~~***~~~

The little owl hooted to remind Hermione of its presence.

She angrily dashed the tears from her eyes. _Get a grip_ , she scolded herself. _That damned potion is working on you and you are letting it._ She cuddled Crooks and set him aside with a murmur of thanks, and then rose from the floor. She went to her desk and picked up her quill. Underneath his signature, she wrote: 

_Professor Snape,_  
_Two o’clock is fine. Thanks for the potion._  
_Hermione Granger_

She rolled the parchment up and tied it to the owl’s leg. As the bird fluttered away, she spied the Occlumency book on the table. Exactly what she needed. Now was as good a time as any to begin studying it. 

"Merrrrr?" 

"I'll be okay, Crooks." She climbed into her bed and sat back against her pillows. Crookshanks leaped onto the bed, trotted over and butted his head against hers. Hermione scritched him behind his ears while he purred loudly. After several minutes, once he knew she felt better, he curled up on her lap, his rumbling purr still audible. Hermione sighed, picked up the Occlumency book, and began to read.

~~~***~~~

After Snape read Hermione's brief reply, he crumbled the parchment and threw it into the fire. He hadn't missed the tear stains on it, but the pressure to go to her had eased, so he knew she was feeling calmer.

He wished he could say the same.

The ordeal of fighting the magical compulsion had left him angry and shaken. It had taken every bit of will power he possessed to resist Hermione's need for comfort, but it was a near thing. What if he hadn't been able to? What then? He would have bolted straight to her room and blasted his way in if necessary. 

He sighed. If he didn't get his mind off of Hermione, he would be the one to activate the magic. 

Snape spied the red Dark Potions book on the table. He opened it and read the recipe for _Continuatus Conjugium_. He rose, gathered the ingredients together, went into his lab, and began preparing them to brew. As he lost himself in the task of potion making, his mind cleared and became focused. The work was exacting and precise; just what he needed to settle his wits.

Two hours later, the mixture was simmering in the cauldron. He stepped back and wiped the sweat from his face. He had an hour before he had to add the final ingredients. After that, it would be time for Hermione to arrive.

Severus ambled from the lab back to his sitting room. He sank onto the sofa, laid his head back and closed his eyes with a sigh. He was looking forward to his meeting with Hermione today—perhaps a bit too much.

_Miss Granger_ , he reminded himself. It must remain _Miss Granger_. 

He remained in that position and went through the mental exercises necessary to seal his mind and thoughts. He had gotten lazy since the end of the war; comfortable. He had allowed himself to relax too much. Perhaps this binding was a blessing in disguise. A warning to regain some of the mental discipline he had abandoned. 

When Snape opened his eyes once more, he knew he had succeeded in securing the memories of the past twenty-four hours within his cerebral vault. He doubted if even Dumbledore, if he was alive, could reach them. Those memories were safe—from everyone except Snape himself. 

The House Elf assigned to the Head, Pearl, popped into his room, bowed and handed him a rolled up parchment. "From the Headmistress, Professor, in reply to your earlier missive." And she popped out again.

Severus unrolled the parchment and read it with satisfaction. 

The mantle clock chimed the half-hour, startling him. He returned to the lab to check on the potion. It had thinned to the consistency of broth and was orange-red in color. He consulted the recipe. Perfect so far. 

He took a quick shower and donned clean clothes. He debated with himself about his school robes, then opted for them. An extra layer of protection, slim as it was. Then he gathered his tea service and headed back into the potions lab. Whenever possible, Severus preferred to brew tea rather than conjure it. He started the water heating and made his way into his storage room. He chose chamomile, ginseng and peppermint for a soothing, tasty tea. The kettle and the quarter hour chime went off together. He poured the hot water into the teapot, added the leaves, and then left it to steep. 

When the clock chimed two, he stirred the potion the prescribed number of times and then added the dried moonflower to the cauldron. The petals sizzled and dissolved in a curl of yellow smoke. He resumed stirring in the opposite direction. After five times around, he laid the stirring rod down beside the cauldron. 

There was a knock on his office door. She was here. He took a deep breath, went through to his office, and opened the door. 

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Hermione asked. 

"Yes, Miss Granger. Come in." Snape stepped aside and as she walked past him, he surreptitiously breathed in her scent—lovely and clean with a hint of honeysuckle. He closed and warded the door and then ushered her through to his lab. Once they were inside, he closed and warded the lab door and then added a Silencing charm. He wasn't taking any chances. 

He waved her toward the teapot as he headed to the steaming cauldron.

"Please be seated, Miss Granger, I will be with you in a moment. The tea is ready; if you would be so kind?"

"Of course."

The clinking of china told him she was pouring the tea. He sprinkled the last of the crushed Ashwinder eggs into the cauldron and stirred it clockwise fourteen times. There was a puff of pink smoke and the liquid lost all color. Snape checked the recipe again and lowered the flame beneath the cauldron infinitesimally. When he was satisfied it would simmer for the rest of the day without boiling over, he turned and faced Hermione.

She was perched on a stool by the table, watching him with interest. She had obviously spent some time reading the book Minerva had loaned her because she was attempting to shield her emotions from him. Much to his surprise, she was mostly successful. The onslaught from this morning was considerably lessened. That was a relief. If she could control herself to this extent without his help, the Occlumency lessons would be easier. And, unlike with Potter, she was motivated to learn the art. He joined her at the table. 

"You weren't in the Great Hall at breakfast this morning." 

"I had a lie in. Thank you for the tray."

"How do you feel?" 

"Fine." She sipped her tea.

Snape ground his teeth. He knew she was far from 'fine'. He tried another tactic. 

"Your effort to shield your mind from me is adequate for now. It should be enough to avoid another...that is to say, I want to apologize for...last night."

Her control slipped and her eyes snapped up to meet his. He felt the beginnings of the arousal that she was feeling as she remembered their shared experience. He inhaled sharply. "Miss. Granger. Please."

The mental wall came down, less robust than it had been. His own fault, damn it. 

"I'm sorry, Professor." She put her cup carefully into its saucer, giving that simple act much more attention than it usually required. "I have only read the first few chapters and practiced the exercises a couple of times. I am trying. It's just that…" She rubbed her temples. "…well, I was doing all right before I came in here. But, being this close to you, seeing you…hearing you speak…it just…" Her voice was almost a whisper. "I can feel the magic re-igniting inside of me. It's causing my body to react the way it did yesterday. I'm trying to shut it down, but with you so near…it's hard."

He felt the magic stir within him in response. He tried to keep the edge out of his voice and failed. "I understand how difficult it is for you. But I must remind you that you will have to come into the Potions classroom tomorrow afternoon and sit in your seat as usual. I will assign your task for the week as usual. Then I will appear to ignore you and the others, while I sit behind my desk and grade papers. As usual. Nothing must appear to have changed between us."

"I understand, Professor." She whispered. 

"I am not convinced that you do." His voice was harsh. "If Draco Malfoy discovers that his cursed potion has worked, he will use that information against us. Sell it to the highest bidder. All hell would break loose if this ever got out. And then either you, or I, or more likely, both of us, would have to leave Hogwarts. Forever." 

Her eyes snapped back up to meet his. He continued in the same hard tone.

"You told me last night that your ambition is to earn your Potions Master designation. I can assure you that if our predicament is discovered, that will never happen. Why? Because you will be seen to be 'cursed'. _Continuatus Conjugium_ is a banned potion. The reason should be obvious to you. People who drink it never know when their partner will decide they are needed. Imagine if you will, that you had just spent a month brewing Veritaserum and the magic was triggered just at the moment of the last step. Or if you were doing any number of other jobs—curse breaking, dull Ministry paperwork—relaxing in the pub with friends. Suddenly, you stop whatever you're doing and just Apparate away. Aside from the moral implications of its use, the biggest reason it's banned is because of the effect it has on everyday life."

He sighed. "It goes without saying that you would be forced to leave school and wouldn't be able to obtain an apprenticeship with anyone."

"As if I would apprentice with anyone except you!"

"I would no longer be in a position to offer that position to you. Because, for me; it would be scandal, disgrace and dismissal from Hogwarts to start. The added component of 'personal relations with a student under his care' would ensure that the Headmistress would have no choice in the matter. No one would hire me. If I opened my own shop..." he shrugged. "It is unlikely that I would earn enough to keep it. Neither of us would be considered employable in the Magical world. We would probably be forced to live as Muggles." 

He ignored the tears that shimmered in her eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest in an unconscious effort to protect himself from his own dire prediction. "I won't apologize for being honest with you. We both have too much to lose." 

A tear escaped and she dashed it away impatiently. "I do understand, Professor. Honestly." 

"Good. Now we must discuss the 'N.E.W.T. project' that Dumbledore suggested. We will be working on a means to counter the binding spell, along with Occlumency lessons. What have you told your friends?" 

"I told Harry and Ginny the N.E.W.T. potion project story. They believed it straight away." She smiled in triumph and focused her shining brown eyes on his. "The question is; what story are we going to put out that Draco might believe?" 

Snape was captivated by her smiling face and sparkling eyes. _She is quite lovely when she smiles._ Hermione was leaning forward, her lips were parted and, without conscious thought, he leaned toward her and captured them in a gentle kiss. She caressed his face in her hands as she kissed him back. Snape slid his hands up her arms and over her shoulders and buried them in her hair. It was so soft just like her lips, and the magic was singing inside of him, urging him on…

With a strangled cry, he flung himself back, overturning the stool as he went. "Hermione, my apologies…the spell...this is just what I was trying to say…I shouldn't have…" He held out a warning hand as she rose and started toward him. 

She stopped, and confusion flitted across her features. "Severus…Professor…" Her voice was hoarse. "I can feel what you feel—I know that the magic is working on you the same way it is me and—I – I don't think ...I mean...if you can stop…then do." 

Snape tried and discovered that the spell worked on his usual mental discipline until the magic in his veins shattered his defenses. Hermione walked toward him and he backed away in an attempt to keep some physical distance between them, knowing it was no use. When his back hit the wall, he groped for his wand and remembered that it was on the table beside the simmering cauldron. As if he would have hexed her anyway. By then Hermione was there and she was pressing her body against his. She reached up and tangled her hands in his hair. She stood on tiptoe and her breath teased his lips as she murmured. "My apologies, Severus." Then she covered his mouth with hers and did her best to take his breath away. 

The magic swirled between and within them and stripped their conscious minds of everything except their hunger to be together. 

Snape crushed her to him and opened his mind fully to the empathetic connection. The sensations that flooded his mind and his body were overwhelmingly enhanced. The physical and mental contact, boosted by the magic in his veins, converged to molten desire. As their kiss deepened, he knew and felt her responses to what he was doing and knew she felt his. It was exhilarating. Intoxicating. Addicting. 

She released his lips and kissed her way down his neck, unbuttoning his collar to gain better access. He sighed and skimmed his hands down her back. When he reached her bottom, he cupped it and pulled her hard against his erection. She moaned and ground herself against him. Snape tugged her tee shirt out of her jeans. He slid his hand up her bare back and, with a quick movement, he unsnapped her bra. He cupped her breasts and teased the nipples to hardness with his thumbs. She gasped and bit him, then laved the spot with her tongue, sending delightful sensations scampering down his spine. 

Hermione made an impatient motion with her hand and undid the buttons on his robes, his coat and shirt all at once. Then she slipped her hands across his shoulders and pushed the offending garments off. They fell into a heap on the floor, but Snape was past caring about anything as mundane as clothing. His entire focus was on Hermione who caressed his chest and kissed her way down the path of black hair in the center. She tasted her way along his quivering stomach slowly, tantalizingly. When she reached the waistband of his trousers, she knelt, unbuttoned his fly, and then pushed them down, freeing his erection. When she took his cock into her hot mouth, Severus lost the power of thought. 

She licked and sucked his aching cock slowly, eliciting a groan with her teasing, exploring tongue. She was discovering the things he liked through their connection. He enjoyed her ministrations until he was at the edge of orgasm and then he lifted her up and kissed her hard. He vanished their clothing with a growl. Without breaking the kiss, he turned them until Hermione's back was against the wall. He pressed his body against hers, which was oh so soft. He pinched her nipples and she moaned against his mouth. He bent his head to suckle one and he reached down and tickled her pussy before he slipped a finger inside. He teased her clit until she was writhing against him and so very close. 

Severus moved his hands to her thighs, lifted her up and positioned her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around him instinctively and she cried out as he sheathed himself inside of her. He started thrusting, slowly at first, then faster as he lost himself in the exquisite sensations of their entwined bodies and minds. Hermione came in a shuddering climax, shouting his name, which tipped him over the edge moments later. 

He trembled as he leaned against her to support her between his body and the wall. They remained like that, joined in body and mind, until Snape regained control of both. As his breathing returned to normal, he slipped out of her and set her gently on her feet. He Accioed his wand and cast a cleansing charm and with another wave, they were clothed. Hermione embraced him and he pulled her against him as he wrapped her in his arms and robes the way she'd wanted him to do this morning. He laid his cheek on top of her head, closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her. Even as he luxuriated in the embrace, Snape systematically erected the barriers in his mind once again. She felt his withdrawal and whimpered in protest. He sighed, leaned back and cupped her chin in his hand so he could look into her eyes. He smoothed her hair away from her face and his voice was gentle when he spoke.

"You know as well as I do, that we cannot function if we do not shield our minds from the extremes of this magic, Hermione," he said. "As enjoyable as it is, we cannot allow it to control us. I will give you some exercises in Occlumency to add to what you're already learning from the Headmistress's book. They will help you in your effort to control your mind." 

He then very deliberately stepped away from her, moved to a bookshelf and withdrew one of the dusty volumes. He brought it over to where she was still standing, looking down and chewing her bottom lip. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Severus tucked the book under his arm, tipped her chin up with a finger and looked into her eyes. Tears were pooled there and spilled over. He wiped them away with his thumbs and handed her his handkerchief. "Shh. You have nothing to apologize for, Hermione. We are under the influence of very powerful magic." He cupped her face. "I assure you that _I_ am not sorry. What we just shared was exquisitely intimate." He kissed her lips gently. "It's early days yet. You've barely begun with the Occlumency. Minerva warned us that we would be compelled to be together." He gave her a small smile and it became rueful when her eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, yes," he grumbled. "I _can_ smile, contrary to popular belief. When I have something worth smiling about." 

Hermione blushed and returned his smile with a shy one of her own. "I'd like to see it again."

"I'm sure you will give me many reasons to do so in the days ahead," he replied gruffly. "Here." He handed her the book. "Something else to read. This book is the next level from Minerva's. Please practice the exercises daily. We will begin the practical lessons on Tuesday."

"Tuesday?" Her disappointment was evident.

His black eyes shone with mirth. "As gratifying as it is that you like my company Hermione, I'm afraid it must be Tuesday. Appearances. We have our command performance tomorrow." 

"What is going to happen to Draco? Is-is he being turned over to the Aurors?"

"Not yet. Minerva believes that he is mentally ill. We are going to try to help him first. I've written to Lucius Malfoy and asked him to come out for a meeting. Headmistress McGonagall, Lucius and I will give Draco Malfoy a choice. Either accept the help we are offering or be turned over to Magical Law Enforcement and face a trial and ultimately prison. There is no third way. However, until Lucius arrives, Mr. Malfoy will be serving detention with the Headmistress." He sobered. "And--I have to help and protect Miss Ichabod and Miss Parkinson somehow. To be honest, dealing with my student's personal problems is not one of my strengths." 

"I'm glad there won't be a trial...and I hope there never will be. Draco would make sure to tell about the potion, and the 'antidote' and you would be out of here." She looked into his eyes. "And so would I. Because I would go with you." He frowned but allowed her to know that he was pleased. "Do you think I should try to talk to Iris and Pansy? Persuade them to come see you?"

He thought for a moment. "We don't know much about their binding with Draco. I don't like to think what might happen to them if he discovered they had asked for my help. But I won't let that stop me from trying. I have a responsibility to them. However, if by some chance you do have the opportunity—without Draco's knowledge, mind—take it." 

"Okay, Sev—er—Professor Snape. I should go." Severus retrieved his wand and dropped the wards. Hermione kissed his cheek with a murmured 'thank you' and then she was gone.

Severus expelled a breath and a blast of magic simultaneously, shattering all of the glassware on the shelves behind him. His feelings for Hermione had grown exponentially in only one day. If he didn't find an antidote to this malady soon, he doubted he would be strong enough to keep looking. 

Nor would he wish to.

~~~***~~~

Hermione made it through the castle and into her room without seeing anyone she knew, thankfully. After a shower(cleansing charms were fine, as far as they went), she donned a clean pair of jeans and a loose-fitting blouse. She added a jumper for good measure. She knew she had to venture out into the Common room as usual, and then later to the Great Hall for dinner, or her friends would suspect that something was wrong. The fact that they would be right was of no consequence. The most important thing right now was to protect Severus. She would not be the cause of his disgrace and dismissal. So she would endure even the Great Hall and the possibility of running into Draco. She shielded her mind the best she could, went downstairs and joined the others.

Everyone called out greetings when she got there. She joined Harry and Ginny and they spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework together and gossiping. If Harry or Ginny noticed she was quieter than usual, they didn’t mention it. The moment she'd been dreading arrived when the dinner bell chimed. Hermione gathered her Transfiguration book and her wits and joined the others as they trooped down the stairs to the Great Hall. 

Harry and Ginny walked arm in arm and Hermione followed them. She was focused on performing the first of the exercises from the Occlumency book that Severus had loaned to her. She would do her best to behave at dinner just as she usually did. As they entered the Great Hall, a quick glance at the staff table confirmed that Professor Snape was seated in his usual place, chatting with Professor McGonagall. Hermione knew he was as aware of her as she was of him, and she smiled inwardly. He did not acknowledge her arrival in any way, of course. Taking her cue from him, she headed toward her usual seat at the Gryffindor table.

She made the mistake of stealing a glance at the Slytherins. Malfoy was looking right at her and their gazes met. He leered and winked at her. Hermione felt her cheeks grow warm but she just arched an eyebrow at him, and then sat down across from Harry and Ginny. She felt a flash of rage which was instantly smothered and she realized that Snape had seen everything and was furious about it. The knowledge that he was keeping an eye on things allowed her to relax a bit. She helped herself to some stew and a slice of bread, propped her book up and began to read while she ate. She felt Professor Snape's approval, and felt a warm glow of pride. 

The hum of conversation, the food and the familiar surroundings all worked to help her feel more at ease. She was eating a gooseberry tart as she chatted with Ginny, when she saw Harry stiffen. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, and she knew without looking that Malfoy was nearby. She wasn’t aware of just how near he was until she felt his hot breath on her ear.

"You can cover your body, Granger, but you cannot Obliviate it from my memory." His voice was pitched for her ears alone. A bit louder he commented, "Did you enjoy your weekend, love?"

Harry and Ginny rose as one.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry said angrily. "Your harassment of Hermione is getting right up my wick.”

"Too right," Ginny agreed, reaching for her wand. 

"Harry, Ginny—please, sit down. The Ferret is not worth the detention. Especially for you, Ginny. You've got a match next week." Hermione refused to acknowledge Draco. "Honestly, I don't know why he continues to behave this way. I have no interest in him and have told him so. Several times. He's just acting like a petulant child." She looked from one of her friends to the other. "Please, sit back down and finish your pudding. He’s honestly not that important." Hermione was almost paralyzed with fear, but she refused to give Draco the satisfaction of knowing how much he terrified her. She ignored him, took a bite of her tart and pretended to go back to reading.

"Goyle, you guys head on back to the Common Room, I'll be there shortly." Draco said. "I want a word with Granger. In private."

"No chance, Malfoy." Harry said.

Hermione suppressed a shudder when Draco murmured into her ear, "If you want them to hear what I have to say, it's all the same to me."

Hermione closed her book, set her spoon very deliberately on the table and then wiped her mouth with her napkin. She heaved a put-upon sigh and rolled her eyes at her friends. "Fine, Malfoy. I'll give you five minutes. I have homework to finish. No Harry," she said sharply when her friend started to rise. "No! We talked about this, remember? I can take care of myself. Besides, what can he do in the Entrance Hall? Don't be a prat, can't you see he's just winding you up? I'll see you upstairs." She rose with the elegance of a queen, tucked her book under her arm and headed for the door. Malfoy took her elbow imperiously which made her skin crawl. 

When they got to the Entrance Hall, he tightened his grip on her arm and hustled her over to the corner by the broom closet. He pulled her close and put his mouth next to her ear. "Did Snape deliver the antidote _personally_?"

Hermione fought her instinct to flee. She _would not_ let on how scared she was. She focused on Malfoy's question. It was pointless to deny that Snape had "delivered the antidote". Malfoy knew very well that he had. A ghost of an idea formed. This was her opportunity to put doubt into his mind about the binding effect of his potion. She jerked her arm out of his grip and turned so they were nearly nose to nose. 

"Yes, he did." She raked her eyes over him then met his gaze again with a smirk. "And he was very well equipped for the task. Much better than you are, I must say. In fact, I would say the 'antidote' was incomparably satisfying."

She was gratified when he scowled and his face reddened. 

"So, how does Snape feel about…"

"About what, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco whirled to face his Head of House, who was glowering down at him. Through the link, Hermione had felt Professor Snape's intention to intervene, and that knowledge had given her courage. She had watched his silent approach out of the corner of her eye, and hoped the pounding of her heart wouldn't give anything away. _My knight in shining armor,_ she thought.

"Um, about the…ah… yesterday's incident... sir."

Malfoy had balls; Hermione had to give him that. 

Snape raised a disdainful eyebrow at him. "Other than the fact that you were holding another student against her will and dosing her with illicit potions—nothing at all. If Miss Granger had been there of her own free will, I would not have intervened."

Even though Hermione knew he _had_ to say that, his words made her flinch inwardly. She clamped down on her dismay, lifted her chin. Her voice was reminiscent of Snape's. "I would never let him touch me. Ever."

"Was there anything else you wanted to know, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape drawled with the lift of a bored eyebrow.

Draco's eyes flitted between them. Snape was standing in his usual pose of crossed arms and stiff back. She could see the wheels turning in Draco's head and knew he was trying to discern any spark of magic between them. However, the Professor's strength of mind and her sheer stubbornness ensured that there was none. Malfoy's certainty and his sneer faltered. 

"No, Professor," he muttered.

"In that case, since Miss Granger has made herself very clear, I expect you to discontinue your attentions at once." He turned to Hermione. "Good night, Miss Granger. If Mr. Malfoy bothers you again, please let me know." 

"Yes, Professor. Thank you. Good night." Hermione turned and fled up the stairs.

Snape returned his attention to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, Professor?" 

Severus' voice became low and dangerous. "Do not for a moment believe that what you have done will be repeated. Because if you even _think_ about kidnapping anyone else and forcing an illegal potion down their throat and I find out about it—I'll escort you straight to the Aurors myself. Is that clear?" 

Draco's bowels turned to water. He believed it. He had forgotten just how scary Snape could be when he chose. "Yes, sir. Quite clear."

Snape bent until they were nearly nose to nose. His black eyes were cold. "I will be watching you. There will be consequences for what you have done. Detention with the Headmistress for a start. Oh, did you think I wouldn't tell her what happened?" Snape huffed. "I can see that you had rather counted on it. As if I could keep something like this from her."

"How long?" Draco asked. 

Snape shrugged. "That is up to the Headmistress, Mr. Malfoy. It's out of my hands. You are to report to her tomorrow after dinner." Draco felt the tendrils of fear curl in his stomach as Snape's black eyes bored into his. The young wizard Occluded like mad to keep the older man out of his mind. "I have only more thing to say to you." His voice shook with fury. "If you ever take one of my books again without my permission, I will take you into the Forbidden Forest and deal with you myself. Now get back to your room."

Draco escaped to the stairs that led to the dungeon. As he walked down, he wondered about Snape and Granger's behavior together. It hadn’t changed, at all. If the professor had finished the job as she had implied, Hermione bloody Granger should have had more of a response to Snape's presence than that. For Merlin's sake, for days after he'd given that potion to his girls, just being in the same room with him was enough to trigger their desire for physical contact. Hermione's lack of response to Snape and his to her was disquieting. Draco had hoped for a connection between them. It would have been blackmail fodder if nothing else. 

Shit!

~~~***~~~

Snape made it back to his quarters without incident. He closed and warded the door before banishing his robes to the laundry. He went to the sideboard and poured himself a large Firewhiskey. He sipped it as he moved to the sofa and settled onto it. He closed his eyes as the fiery liquid raced through his veins. A wicked smile played across his face.

The confrontation with Malfoy could not have been better. 

He had been achingly aware of Hermione all through dinner. So much so that he dared not look at her. She had been mostly successful in shielding her emotions from him. But when Malfoy had accosted her at the table, her terror fractured the delicate shield in her mind. It had affected him so much; he'd had to grip the arms of his chair to remain seated. She'd hid it well outwardly, but her fear spiked again when she left the Great Hall with Draco and Snape had been compelled to act on it. 

Fortunately, as the Head of Slytherin House, it wasn't unexpected that he would intervene. 

Her relief was evident only to him when she spotted him in the Entrance Hall as he silently approached Draco from behind. Her mind was in fight or flight mode, which did not set off the magic within _her_. He, on the other hand, had experienced ferocious rage toward the source of her disquiet. Fortunately, Draco couldn't fault him for being angry. 

He hadn’t missed Draco's interest in their interaction, even though the young wizard tried to hide it. Snape had never wanted to laugh more than when he recognized Draco's bafflement when he and Granger had no reaction to each other.

_We had a very pleasant reaction this afternoon, though. Very pleasant indeed._ He smirked to himself.

Snape opened his mind to Hermione, ever so slightly. She was reading the Occlumency text he had loaned to her. He closed his mind again quickly, before she became aware of his presence and took another swallow of his drink. He was gratified to know she was working on strengthening her mind, because their biggest test would come during Potions class the following day.

His thoughts turned back to Draco. The lad had been expecting something to be said and he'd said it. The threat of the forbidden forest was always enough to make him shit his pants. 

So far, so good—they had passed the first test—and gotten Draco out of the way for the foreseeable future.

~~~***~~~

_They writhed on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and lips. A brief skirmish for dominance; which he allowed her to win. He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes as her lips brushed his and then started downward in a hot, wet trail of kisses. He shivered as she teased his nipples, his navel and finally his cock. Her hot mouth surrounded him, enveloped him, and savored him. She brought him to the cusp and then released him, kissing her wicked way with aching slowness back up to capture his lips once more._

_He growled and pinned her beneath him and her eyes sparkled with mirth and desire. His grin was feral as he lowered his mouth to hers in a scorching kiss. Then he feasted on her heated skin in the same agonizing way she had him. She squirmed and arched her hips toward him, and he indulged her by spreading her nether lips and taking a long, slow taste. He savored her musky smell as he bedeviled her clitoris with his tongue until she begged for release._

_He kissed her mound then positioned himself between her legs, his hardness poised at her entrance. Their eyes met. As one they moved, their bodies joined and they worshiped each other reverently, tenderly, fervently until they reached paradise as one._

Hermione’s eyes snapped open. She was fully aroused and drenched in sweat. Had that been her dream or his? She tried to reach out to Snape through their bond. After a few moments, she gave up. Either he was asleep or his mind was closed to her, which she figured was more likely. She diddled her clit until she came with a shudder. Still unsatisfied, she rolled over and closed her eyes. Before long, she sank into an exhausted sleep.

Snape was awake. He had felt her tentative probing and was sorely tempted to open his mind to hers, but resisted the urge with effort. As he lay in the dark, waiting for his raging erection to subside, he pondered his situation. He was finding it ridiculously easy to surrender to the magic. They had already discovered some of the pleasures to be had through their connection. How much more was there? What would it be like if they were free to be together? He had always been, by choice and necessity, a solitary man. If he was honest with himself, since the end of the war, he was often lonely. The link he shared with Hermione opened up so many tantalizing possibilities…

But...was what they felt for each other real? He knew the answer. It had only been one day, for Merlin's sake. _But what if it is?_ his treacherous mind asked.

Snape heaved a weary sigh. He could not answer those questions without more information. Right now, what he needed was sleep. He closed his eyes but sleep was long in coming.


	6. Monday, Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape and Hermione give a command performance. Iris and Pansy ask for help. Snape gets drunk again.

Monday morning breakfast in the Great Hall was a noisy affair, as usual. Snape sat between McGonagall and Pomfrey, ignoring their chatter as he sipped his tea. He was operating on a couple of hours sleep, an Invigoration Draught and tea. Merlin help any student who stepped a toe out of line today.

He was acutely aware of Hermione. He hadn't been able to resist a swift glance in response to the flash of apprehension he'd felt when she'd entered the room. She had looked at him at the same time and their eyes met for a moment before she swiftly looked away. She sat with her friends as usual and nibbled at her breakfast. Her attempt to Occlude was adequate to take some of the pressure off of him for now. 

The owl post arrived, in a flurry of wings and hoots, which roused him from his reverie. Snape paid the small brown owl from the Daily Profit, and was surprised to find a second owl holding out its leg to him as well. He retrieved the missive, tucked it into his coat pocket, and fed the owl a bit of bacon before it flew off again. He opened the newspaper and pretended to read while he surreptitiously watched Draco. The young wizard was chatting with his friends as usual, but he couldn't stop himself from looking at Severus and then Hermione, and then back again. 

He was obviously still watching for any sign that his potion had worked, in spite of what he'd seen last night. 

Snape sipped his tea and turned another page. From the corner of his eye, he saw Malfoy scowl. The boy rose and stalked from the Great Hall with Goyle trailing behind him. Interestingly, Miss Ichabod and Miss Parkinson remained at the table. As soon as the door closed behind Draco, they put their heads together. When he saw Iris glance across the room at Hermione, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Snape folded the paper, rose and tucked it under his arm. He took his leave of Minerva and Poppy and then made his way down to the Slytherin table. Neither Ichabod nor Parkinson had noticed his approach and he used that to his advantage.

"Miss Parkinson, Miss Ichabod," he said, inwardly pleased when they jumped at the sound of his voice. 

"Yes, Professor?"

"My office in five minutes."

"Yes, Professor."

He strode out of the Great Hall, robes billowing.

~~~***~~~

As Snape stalked away, Pansy turned her wide, frightened eyes to look at her friend. "Shit, Iris, is this it? Are we going to be expelled?"

"Don't panic," Iris murmured. "Let's get out of here so we can talk freely."

They rose from the table and hurried out into the Entrance Hall. Iris steered Pansy toward the corner by the broom closet and stopped in front of it. 

"I can't get expelled, Iris!" Pansy's eyes filled. "My father will kill me."

"That's laying it on a bit thick, isn't it? He would be angry, but he wouldn't actually kill you."

Pansy looked into the other girl's eyes. "Put it this way, Iris. I'm more afraid of my father than I am of Draco."

Iris absorbed this news for a moment. "Pans, we have to try to speak to Granger now. Ask her if she will come with us to see Snape."

"It's worth a try."

Students began to drift out of the Great Hall in twos and threes. After a couple of minutes, they saw Granger, Potter and the Weasley girl walking toward the marble staircase together.

"Oi, Granger!" Iris barked. "Can we have a word?" To Pansy in an undertone she said, "Make sure your hands are where she can see them."

Pansy crossed her arms and Iris dropped hers to her side. Granger paused for a moment to consider. Iris could tell that Potter was suspicious, but Granger put her hands on her hips and gestured forcefully toward the staircase. Potter and Weasley reluctantly headed up. Once she was certain that her friends had gone, Granger slipped her wand from its holster, and then approached them warily. 

"What is it?" She asked softly. 

"Granger," Iris said, "first, we want to apologize for Saturday. We have both been bound to Draco with that same potion he used on you. On Saturday, though, we think he slipped us something else, too. We did not have any choice in the matter." After Hermione nodded, Iris continued. "Professor Snape ordered us to come to his office in five minutes. We--we want to ask for your help."

Granger raised an eyebrow. "And how do I know that you're not under Draco's influence right now?"

"If we were, we'd be trying to get you to Draco, not to Snape. Merlin, Granger, I thought you were supposed to be smart?" Iris controlled her temper with effort. "Sorry. You have every right to be suspicious, but please hear me out. Snape wants to see us before classes start. In fact, we are supposed to be there right now. We want you to come with us. Please."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because," Pansy said. "You know what that potion does to your mind, and we want you there to help convince Snape that we didn't act of our own free will on Saturday."

"Please, Grang—Hermione."

Granger looked from one to the other and appeared to come to a decision. "All right. I'll come with you. Better nip along smartly. Snape is a right bastard when he's kept waiting. You go first and remember—I've got my wand pointed at your back."

~~~***~~~

Hermione followed Iris and Pansy down the stairs toward the dungeon. She had had a moment of anxiety when Iris had called out, but once she heard what the other girls wanted, figured their request would help her kill two birds with one stone. Severus would get his chance to try to help them and, even better, she would get to see him outside of class today. She'd decided almost immediately that she was going to go with them, but pretended to need convincing because she figured if she gave in too quickly, they might suspect something.

They arrived at the door to Snape's office and Iris knocked. To Hermione's great astonishment, Pansy was so scared, she was trembling. 

"Enter."

They trooped into the office and stopped in front of his desk. Snape cast a cool glance at them, pausing when he got to Hermione and raising an eyebrow. "Miss Granger. I don't recall requesting your presence. Why are you here?"

The coldness in his voice belied the curiosity she felt through the link, so she spoke perhaps more boldly than she would have before. "Iris and Pansy asked me to come with them."

He executed one of his best sneers. Hermione let him know how impressed she was through the link, and then bit her lip to stop from smiling. "Moral support, I suppose?" He asked.

"Professor Snape, sir," Iris said. "I-we have to tell you—to explain—our part in what happened Saturday."

Pansy stood frozen, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She cleared her throat and her voice was just above a whisper. "Please Professor. We need your help."

Snape waved his hand and three chairs appeared behind them. "Be seated." After they obeyed, he speared Iris with a glare. "You seem to be the spokesperson, Miss Ichabod. I am very interested to know why I should not have you, Miss Parkinson and Mr. Malfoy expelled and turned over to the Aurors."

Hermione's opinion of Iris rose when the other witch raised her chin and met Snape's eyes defiantly. "What happened to Granger—what you saw Saturday—happened to me, too. Both Pansy and I have drunk Draco's binding potion. In my case, since I wasn't willing, it was laced with the same aphrodisia that he gave to Granger. You saw the result."

Hermione felt her face flush. 

Snape nodded. 

"Even though we are bound to him magically, we think he used something else to force us to help him with his plan. I'm not sure when he gave it to us—"

"It was most likely at breakfast," Pansy said.

"Very likely. Anyway, whatever it was acted like 'Imperio'. He told me to do something and I did it."

"Yes, that is exactly what it was like."

"Professor Snape," Hermione interrupted. He turned his glittering black eyes to meet hers. "I can verify that both Pansy and Iris appeared to be under the influence of something else that day. Their eyes were cloudy and sort of staring. They obeyed Draco even when they didn't seem to want to."

He raised an eyebrow—and looked into Hermione's eyes. _Are you certain?_ He asked through their link.

_Yes, quite certain._ She replied the same way.

Satisfied, he turned back to Iris. "Do you know what potion it was?"

Iris huffed a frustrated sigh. "No, sir."

"No matter. There are several, and it appears that the effects were temporary."

"But mixed with the binding magic inside of us already—Professor Snape, I-I believe that Draco is going mad. He's..." Pansy looked at Iris and some signal passed between them. "Will you show him?"

Iris bowed her head for a moment and then stood and turned her back to Snape's desk. Hermione's eyebrows climbed to her hairline as she loosened her tie, tugged her blouse out of her skirt and unbuttoned it. When it was open, she shrugged it off of her shoulders, and exposed her back. 

Hermione leaned forward to look and gasped. She could feel Snape's outrage through the link. He controlled himself with effort before he spoke.

"Draco did this?" His voice was low and cold.

"Yes, along with Goyle. Saturday night. I've never felt such pain. They made sure to mark me where it wouldn't show." Tears streamed down her face as she pulled her shirt back on, buttoned it up, tucked it in again and sat back down. "If Pansy hadn't gotten a healing ointment for me...I wouldn't be able to get out of bed." She sighed. "He's slapped Pansy around too—but this, this was the worst he's ever done."

Snape rose and went to his storage room, unwarded it and then disappeared inside. He returned with a small jar of ointment and two potions. He handed them all to Pansy. "You are excused from your first class—I will notify Professor Flitwick. Go to your room and apply the ointment. It includes an accelerated healing agent. You should feel relief immediately and will be well enough to go to class in an hour."

"Thank you."

"What are these?" Pansy indicated the potions. 

"One is Dreamless Sleep and the other is a Healing Draught." He said. "I can't do more, until I find an antidote. Which I will." He speared them with a glance. "Please come to me directly if you have need of anything else."

Pansy nudged her. "Don’t forget to tell him..."

"Oh, right! A couple of weeks ago, Draco forced me to help him obtain some potions ingredients after you started warding your stores, so I can give you a list of those."

Snape floated a quill, ink and parchment over to her. "Please do." 

"Are you going to have us expelled?" Pansy asked anxiously. 

"No. I believe you."

The relief on their faces would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic. Hermione felt terrible for them.

Snape continued. "You and Miss Ichabod are also victims—and more unfortunate than Miss Granger."

Iris looked up quickly and Pansy's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean?" They said together.

Hermione heard _trust me_ in her mind. _I do. Implicitly._ She sent back.

"After...the antidote to the aphrodisia was—delivered—Saturday...I am relieved to tell you that the other part of that potion apparently failed as no binding has manifested itself between us."

The two witches observed Snape who appeared to be serenity itself, and then turned to look at Hermione, who smiled with a shrug. "He's right. There must have been a mistake during the brewing process."

"But that's impossible!" Iris cried. "Draco's brewed that potion successfully at least twice before!"

Snape steepled his fingers together. "I assure you, Miss Ichabod, it is not 'impossible'. Even the simplest potions can go wrong during the brewing process. And the potion he forced you to give to Miss Granger is far from simple. From what I've been able to deduce so far, he attempted to combine an aphrodisia and a binding potion into one. The smallest mistake can make all the difference in the result." He sat back in his chair and spread his hands. "Even I make mistakes sometimes."

Iris sighed. "You're both lucky, then. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy." She went back to scribbling. "There. That's everything we gathered or bought that day." She floated the parchment, quill and ink back to him. 

Snape read the parchment with interest. He used the quill to note the ingredients that had turned up missing from his stores, and then set it aside. "This is very helpful, thank you." He looked from Iris to Pansy. "I have only one more thing to say before you go. It's perhaps the most difficult thing." He looked at his hands. For the first time, he appeared weary as he gathered his thoughts. After a moment he raised his head and looked at them grimly. 

"Unfortunately, all I can do about Draco for the moment is detention. Which he has with the Headmistress. I know she will keep him busy, but after he's excused he will be right back in his room—for now. I hope that by the end of the week he will be dealt with more appropriately." His voice was grave. "I have already spoken to the Headmistress and there are steps we can take to get him help. But if he suspects what we're planning, he will do a runner. Since he's an adult, if he runs, it would be almost impossible to find him. He would undoubtedly force you two to go with him. As you know, there is no antidote to the binding spell." He looked at them meaningfully. "Yet. Rest assured, I am working on it. Please be careful for the next few days. We will keep Draco as busy as we can, but nothing must appear to be different for now."

Iris smiled. "We've been dealing with this for weeks, so a few more days won't matter--knowing that it will be over soon. Thank you."

"Off to your rooms, take care of those injuries. Hide the potions. You're dismissed." He turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, please remain here for another moment."

There was a chorus of 'yes, sir' from all three witches. They stood and Iris and Pansy started for the door. Pansy paused and looked back at Hermione. "Thank you, Granger, for coming with us."

"You're welcome. Please let me know if I can help you two in any way."

"Thanks."

After the door closed behind them, Hermione collapsed into the chair. "Merlin's balls, what did that to her back?" 

"Language, Miss Granger." He sighed. "Most likely it was some sort of cane. Now we add spousal abuse to the list of offenses Draco has committed." He peered at her. "It appears that we were successful in convincing them that the binding failed. Draco has seen no evidence of it. This is proceeding better than I'd hoped." 

Hermione nodded. "You let them know that we—" She waved her hands between them.

"Denying that would have been useless and made them unnecessarily suspicious. They both knew it was the only way to free you from the potion's effects. As a result, they will be able to confirm to Draco that they noticed no sign of any binding between us." 

"You're right." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you ever get tired of being right?"

He matched her eyebrow with one of his own and his lips twitched as he suppressed a grin.. "Never."

She stood and so did he. He came around the desk and walked her to the door. When she got there, she turned and looked up into his face. She didn't ask, just acted. She put her hands on his shoulders, raised up on her toes and brushed his lips with a soft kiss. There was no heat, but much affection behind it. 

"I'll see you in Potions class." Then her courage deserted her and she fled.

~~~***~~~

Snape stood looking at the door after it closed behind Hermione. The little minx had stolen a kiss and he hadn't any forewarning of her plan through the link they shared.

Excellent. That meant that her fledgling attempt at Occluding was working. It would be different if she experienced any extreme emotion. He'd felt her slip when she saw the terrible marks on Miss Ichabod.

Severus went back to his desk, took up his quill and scribbled a note to Filius. "Winky!"

The House Elf appeared beside him with a pop. "Yes sir, Professor Snape, sir?"

He folded the parchment and handed it to her. "Please take this to Professor Flitwick."

"Yes, sir." 

After Winky left, Snape glanced over the list Iris had made for him and added a few notes to it before putting it into a drawer. Then he pulled out the letter he received this morning and unrolled it.

_Severus,  
I knew that Draco was up to something. An illegal potion? Thank you and the Headmistress for keeping the Aurors out of this mess. He wouldn't survive Azkaban. _

_I am sending an owl to the Headmistress today to request a meeting with you both._

_You asked if any of my books were missing. In a manner of speaking. I will discuss it with you when I see you._

_Yours, etc~  
Lucius._

Severus scribbled a reply, rolled up the parchment and tied it. He added Lucius' letter to the drawer then closed, locked and warded it for good measure before he left his office. He had just enough time for a stop at the Owlry before his first class.

~~~***~~~

Potions was Hermione's last class of the day. As the hours passed, her anxiety grew. She sat in the Gryffindor Common Room during her free period and stared, unseeing, at the fire. How she longed to lower her defenses and reach out to Severus for reassurance! Not that any effort from her to reach him in that way would work without his cooperation—and that she knew she would not have. She smiled to herself at the memory of his astonishment when she'd kissed him earlier. Granted, she'd taken him by surprise, but she had no regrets. A glance at the clock told her it was nearly time for class. She closed her eyes and focused on the Occluding exercises. When the bell rang signaling the time for Potions, she opened them again and gathered her things into her bag. She was as ready as she could be.

The closer she got to the dungeon classroom, the more anxious she became. Just the thought of being in the same room with Draco had her on edge and panicky. She bent her head, slowed her breathing and concentrated on suppressing the memory of the attack. It helped some, but she knew it was a bandage at best. Confronting Draco last night gave her a bit of confidence but she had been near him for only a few minutes before Severus intervened and lent her some of his strength. He would be there today, and she would be safe enough, but their mental link would not be open; she would be on her own. She seriously considered skiving off, but she knew that her absence would ruin all the groundwork she and Snape had already laid with Draco and Iris.

Slytherins were so suspicious. 

She walked into class, and much to her relief, Malfoy hadn’t arrived yet. She hurried to her table and took her seat next to Harry. 

"Hey, Hermione, what did Parkinson and her friend want this morning?" Harry asked.

Damn it. She should have anticipated his curiosity. "Nothing really. Pansy blustered about all the attention Draco has been paying to me. Jealous cow. I told her she had nothing to worry about." She shrugged. 

Harry clenched his fists. "Someone has to deal with Malfoy, Hermione. Before things get out of hand."

"Harry, someone is. Professor Snape caught Malfoy last night when he had me cornered in the Entrance Hall." She smirked and lowered her voice. "Sneaked up on the little wanker. Snape heard me tell Draco to leave me alone, and Draco said he would do as he pleased. Snape got angry then. He told Draco to leave me alone in the future and gave him detention with Professor McGonagall for good measure." 

"Bloody brilliant." 

"I thought so." 

The door opened and Draco sauntered in with Iris. They took their usual place and Draco blew a kiss at Hermione with a smirk. She snatched her gaze away from him with a frown. Obviously, he wasn't going to stop bothering her just because Snape had told him to. He was only going to be sneakier about it. Harry stiffened next to her and she put a hand on his arm.

"Don't even think about it," she growled under her breath. "Leave it." 

At that moment, Professor Snape made his entrance. His long strides caused his robes to billow behind him impressively and Hermione's heart soared as she watched. When he reached his desk, he picked up their homework, and then turned to face the room so quickly that his robes swirled around his legs. _I wonder if he does that on purpose? I'll have to ask him next time we're together._ She felt the stirring warmth of desire begin to radiate from her middle outward. Hermione shifted her glance from Snape to the board behind him as she diligently focused her mind once again. Severus had helped her so much—was continuing to protect her even now—it was time for her to return the favor.

~~~***~~~

When Snape entered the room he noticed that Hermione and Potter had their heads together and she had her hand on his arm. _Quite cozy._ A stab of jealousy speared him. Well, that was new and unwelcome. He strode to his desk, picked up the essay homework he had graded the night before, and then turned to face the classroom. He didn't have to feign his displeasure.

“As I did before your O.W.Ls, I have given you the marks you would have received if you had written these essays for your N.E.W.Ts. To say I was disappointed would be to exaggerate my satisfaction.” He moved around the room, handing back their homework. “Every one of you can do better quality work." When he reached Hermione and Potter, he didn't spare a glance for either when he returned their essays. She’d received top marks for once. As usual, he did not single her out for any praise aloud, but he did stop Occluding long enough to show her his approval. A warm glow of happiness flowed back to him before he resumed Occluding. 

He reached the front of the classroom once more, turned and said, "Today we will be mixing the Draught of Living Death." He turned and speared Potter with a glance. "We shall see if you can replicate your performance in Slughorn's class, Potter." His old potions textbook was currently residing on a shelf in his sitting room, so he doubted it. However, he had updated the recipe with his changes and those were included when he waved his hand. "The ingredients and method are on the board. It will require nearly every minute of our remaining class time. You know where the ingredients are kept. Begin."

Snape sat down at his desk and made a show of shuffling parchment, sharpening his quill and opening his red ink bottle while he observed the class from behind the curtain of his hair.

There was a flurry of activity as the students made their way to the store cupboard and collected their ingredients, including Potter. Hermione stayed behind, lighting the fire beneath their cauldron and arranging their knives and cutting boards on the table. He didn’t miss the flash of displeasure on Malfoy’s face. Before long, the methodical thump of chopping and the quiet murmurs of the students blended into familiar classroom buzz. 

Snape was satisfied. Everyone seemed to be concentrating on their work for a change. He had deliberately assigned this particularly complicated potion so that even Malfoy couldn't spare a moment to make trouble. He turned his attention back to correcting the second-years’ abominable essays. He took a break from grading papers every few minutes to get up and walk around the classroom, monitoring their progress. 

After an hour, the distinctive acrid smell of the ground asphodel reached his nostrils. Snape rose and moved around the class again, peering into each cauldron as he passed. To his amazement, everyone, including Potter (with help from Granger, she couldn’t hide it from him now) had managed to combine the ingredients in the correct order and quantity. Every cauldron contained the viscous, clear liquid. He was impressed.

"Perhaps there is hope for this class after all," he commented dryly. "I expect that you are timing the potion's rest period? Excellent. Once you have added the Valerian root, your potions will be complete. After you decant them, use the remaining class time to begin your homework assignment. An eight-inch essay on the uses and misuses of Draught of Living Death."

There was an audible snort from Iris Ichabod, who covered her laughter with an unconvincing cough when he raised an eyebrow at her. She bent her head and focused on labeling the bottles in front of her.

Snape returned to his chair and sat down once again. He picked up his quill and dipped it into the red ink, returned his attention to the poor excuse for an essay in front of him, and began to mark the parchment. Snape was halfway through the paper when he glanced up and saw Potter and Hermione, their heads nearly touching, conferring quietly as they bottled their potions. Jealousy mixed with raging desire erupted within him and blazed through the link. Hermione swayed, gripped the table and discreetly put more distance between herself and Potter. Snape ground his teeth. Fortunately, she did not even glance at him. He bent his head over the essay so that his hair fell forward and shielded his face. He closed his eyes briefly and regained command of his emotions. Snape took his frustration out on the essay in front of him, leaving hardly a sentence unscathed. He seethed at his loss of control and sliced a glance at Draco. 

The young wizard was watching Hermione. His eyes narrowed and he turned to look in Snape's direction. Snape ignored him and continued grading essays until Malfoy turned to gaze at Hermione once more. For her part, Hermione kept her eyes on the parchment in front of her. He felt her struggle against the compulsion and was helpless to do anything but send his silent support to her. After what seemed like hours but was, in reality only a few minutes, the bell rang. He finished marking the paper by putting a dramatic “D” on the top.

"Leave the bottles on your tables. You are dismissed." 

He continued to pretend to ignore the students by picking up another essay and looking at it without seeing the words on the page. Once all of the students had left the room, he exhaled sharply and sat back with relief. The jealousy he’d felt had been a complete surprise. That aspect wasn't one of the normal effects of _Continuatus Conjugium_. He tossed his quill on the desk and wondered what other nasty surprises were in store for him. He knew the spell had intensified his reaction but it could only intensify what was already there. 

That worried him.

Snape told himself that he had no right to be jealous of Hermione. _Once you find the antidote she won't be interested in you anyway,_ his traitorous mind reminded him. He slammed his hand down on the desktop, causing the inkwell to jump. "NO!"

He shoved away from the desk and escaped into his quarters. He banished his robe and coat to the coat rack on his way to the sideboard. He splashed Firewhiskey into a glass and drank it down. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the liquor spread through him, which calmed him somewhat. _Why the hell is it so difficult for me to control my reactions?_

"Winky!"

The House Elf popped into the room. "Yes, Professor, sir?"

"Please inform the Headmistress that I will not be at dinner."

"Yes, sir, Professor, sir." She popped out again.

Severus poured himself another drink and made his way to the sofa, unbuttoning his shirt collar as he went. He ignited the fire with a thought and made himself comfortable. "What the hell," he murmured. " _Accio_ Firewhiskey!" The bottle sailed into his hand and he set it on the table. Enough of this would make a man forget everything.

~~~***~~~

Hermione glanced at the Head table again and Snape still wasn't there. Her heart fell. He wasn't coming to dinner. She sighed and picked at her own food.

 _What had she done to make him so angry today?_

The jealous blast through the link had nearly knocked her off of her stool. She'd had to hold onto the table to maintain her seat. Harry had been concerned and she had passed it off as a dizzy spell. She wasn't sure that he believed her completely, but he'd stopped haranguing her. She hadn't missed Draco's interest, either. 

She had escaped into her room as soon as they reached Gryffindor Tower. Her fragile attempt at Occlumency had been shattered by Snape in the classroom and she hadn't bothered to try again. She was aware that he was angry at himself for losing control the way he did and she did her best to let him know that she was okay. It was frustrating, not being skilled enough to be certain she had reached him. She figured she'd see him at dinner and it would be easier if they were in the same room.

Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon doing her homework and then practicing the exercises in the Occlumency book. It was nearly time for dinner when an owl scratched at her window. She admitted the bird and it flew to her desk and dropped a parcel. 

"Thank you, help yourself," Hermione said. While the owl nibbled on the treats in the bowl, she unwrapped the package and smiled. It was the book she'd asked Viktor to find for her. It had cost a fortune, but she hoped it would be worth it in the long run.

_Learning Legilimency—A Self Study Guide_

She had read and practiced a few of the exercises before the dinner bell rang. It was much more difficult than Occlumency. Especially since she was trying to learn without help. She hoped by learning Legilimency she could reach Severus more easily though their connection. 

He never made it to dinner. She concluded that he was avoiding her. And that made her angry.

She took a sip of her pumpkin juice. It had only been three days, but she was already tired of being shut out. However, until she was able to learn Legilimency, she still had her own two feet and her wits. 

Hermione intended to use both. Tonight.

~~~***~~~

Several hours later, Severus was pleasantly squiffy. He was stretched out on the sofa, dressed in nothing except his silk dressing gown and boxers. Lucius Malfoy had introduced him to the delicious decadence of silk years ago. Hermione had been surprised by his silk boxers. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and smiled at the memory.

_I like to surprise people. I got a rather unpleasant surprise today. Why should I be jealous? I care for her already, that's why. Bollocks. It's only been three bloody days. Too soon. It's the magic. Is it? It must be. Why would I feel that way about a student otherwise? Pish, never felt this way before. Not even about Lily. Has to be the potion. When I find the antidote, it's back to being all alone. Don't think I want to go back to being all alone._

His reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. He started, sat up and looked at it. 

"Severus, it's me. May I come in?"

His eyes widened. He scrambled to his feet and made his way unsteadily to the door and opened it. 

He saw nothing except the back of his office. He swayed, held onto the door frame and wondered if he was hallucinating. 

"I am Disillusioned! And you've been drinking. You're blocking the door. May I come in? Please?"

Snape stepped aside and felt a brush of air and the scent of honeysuckle as she passed him. He waved his hand to close and ward the door and by the time he turned around, Hermione was standing in front of the sofa. A smile he couldn't contain spread across his face. 

"Hermione, you're here." He made his way to the sofa, collapsed onto it and then patted the seat beside him. "Come sit down."

She looked so lovely. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a very fetching blouse. Her hair fell in soft waves past her shoulders. She seated herself and looked at him, her brown eyes full of tenderness. She had beautiful eyes. Why was she here?

"Why are you here?" 

"I missed you at dinner. And I have a question--" 

Snape snorted. "Pull the other one! No one ever misshes me when I'm not 'round."

"Maybe no one ever did before, but someone does now." She leaned forward, looked into his eyes and cupped his cheek with her hand. "I care about you, Severus."

He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes. "Don' say that...don' give me hope...it makes things worse...S'just the magic talking, Miss Granger. Once we find the antidote...poof...you'll be gone and I'll be alone again. S'okay...don' feel bad...I'm used to it." 

Hermione decided her questions could wait. Severus needed her in a different way. She toed off her trainers and scooted onto his lap. He pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his shoulder. His mind was completely open to her and she reached out to him mentally. She discovered a jumble of fear and confusion. He was afraid that he wouldn't find an antidote and even more afraid that he would. Confusion about his feelings for her and whether they were genuine or caused by the spell they were under. _It has only been three days!_ Dread of losing her and everything they shared and at the same time convinced it was simply due to the spell. And around and around. No wonder he'd turned to drink.

Her heart broke for him. She opened her mind to his. She exposed her own confused feelings, and that she had come to care for him, too. The difference was that she also believed what she was feeling was real and would still be there even after they found an antidote. 

Severus opened his eyes and looked into hers. She felt him venture into her mind and the memories of the past few days. She saw them as they passed; her relief at his appearance in the room before Draco raped her, her delight when she got her first look at his naked body, her determination to go with him to see the Headmistress in order to stand up for him. And her pleasure today when she'd finally received an honest mark for her hard work. He withdrew from her mind and leaned his head against the back of the sofa with a small sigh. 

"I believe that you believe it, Hermione," he said. "But I can't allow myself...you must understand...I just can't...if I do and it's not...I..." He trailed off. "I'm drunk. Pay no attention to my maudlin rambling. You shouldn't be here," he said. 

Hermione blinked away the tears that threatened and said, "I'm not going anywhere, Severus. I'm here now, aren't I? You don't have to believe it. I'll believe it for both of us." She lifted her head and kissed her way up his neck, across his chin and cheek. When she reached his lips, she kissed his mouth tenderly with all of the feeling she had for him laid bare. He responded in the same way and when it ended, she found herself gazing into fathomless black eyes that were full of doubt. She smoothed his hair away from his face and smiled at him. "You are really going to regret this tomorrow, you know."

He smiled back at her drunkenly. "You're right. I'll be a right bastard in class, too. Deflecting my embarrassment." He kissed her softly again. "But, I'm enjoying it for the moment, so hush. Don' wanna think about tomorrow right now."

~~~***~~~

The chiming of the clock woke Severus with a start. It was past midnight. His head was full of cotton and his arms were full of Hermione. He tightened his embrace. Merlin, he'd gotten mawkish tonight. Strangely, he wasn't embarrassed. In fact, he felt relieved. Hermione was feeling the same things as he did, but with less uncertainty of their authenticity.

Time would be the judge of who was right. For now, he was going to go with it and hope for a miracle.

He kissed the top of her head and then shook her gently. "Hermione, wake up."

She stirred and yawned and opened her eyes. "Sev'rus?" Her eyes widened. "Uh-oh."

He kissed her nose. "We have to get you back to your room. Let me up. I have to use the toilet. Urgently. Then I'll get dressed and go with you to the door of the tower."

She smiled at him wickedly. "Oh Severus! Are you offering to walk me home?" 

"Get up, Minx, before we both regret it," he growled. 

She grinned and scooted to the other end of the sofa. He rose, had a piss, and then dressed. When he returned to the sitting room, Hermione had put her trainers back on and was standing by the fireplace. 

He walked over to her and embraced her from behind. He nuzzled her neck and said, "I'm going to have Minerva open the castle Floo between our rooms. Don't know why I didn't think of it before."

She leaned against him. "Good idea. When?"

"Tomorrow."


	7. Tuesday's Gone With the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris and Pansy grow closer. Lucius Malfoy discovers what his son has been doing. A day in the life of the Potions Master. Hermione's first Occlumency lesson.
> 
> CW: Potion coerced sexual assault. Discussion of rape and sexual assault.

Iris' eyes snapped open on Tuesday morning before the sun came up. Arousal slithered through her body like a serpent, its tongue a searing flame as it touched her nipples one by one. It coiled around to her bum, then finally her pussy before it curled with a hiss low in her abdomen. 

_Fuck. No!_

She tried to fight the compulsion, but it was useless. Her nipples were already aching to be touched and she felt warm wetness between her legs. Against her will, she arose from her bed, shrugged into her dressing gown, and opened the door. She found Pansy in a similar state just outside. Their eyes met and Pansy's anguish wrung her heart. Iris enveloped the other witch in her arms, and kissed her pillow plump lips until her eyes glazed over. The magic wove around her again and Iris silently wailed when her traitorous body tore itself away from Pansy and turned toward Draco's room. She felt as though she were being drawn to her own execution, with Pansy trailing behind her like a mourner, whimpering softly. 

When they reached his door, Iris knocked. It swung open and they entered the familiar room. 

Goyle was already there, sitting in the same chair he'd occupied the last time that Iris had been in this horror chamber, rubbing sleep from his eyes with one hand and his cock with the other. It was already half-hard, a thick rod he used equally well to either transport or torture. Draco was in the other chair, his silk dressing gown open, his legs spread wide. His erection jutted from his fist, the head red and angry. 

The witches stopped and shrugged off their dressing gowns. Goyle's lustful gaze meandered between them, across their tits, down to the pussy, across to the other and back again. He licked his lips as he fisted his cock. _He is the luckiest motherfucker in Slytherin house,_ Iris thought. _Because of his friendship with Draco, he has pussy on demand and can indulge in his darker pleasures, as well._

"Because of that filthy Mudblood," Draco's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "I have detention every night for the foreseeable future. With McGonagall. I've written to Father about it and I don't expect it to last much longer than a week. But, since I will be otherwise occupied in the evenings, our more pleasurable activities will have to be conducted in the morning." 

He raked his gaze over Iris, then Pansy-who stood straighter and thrust out her breasts-and then back to Iris once again. He smiled, a cold, icy grimace that didn't reach his grey eyes. His fist tightened around his erection and Iris felt his desire for her fully ignite the spell. Her nipples were hard as diamonds and ached to be touched. Her pussy was so wet she could feel it on her thighs. A shudder undulated through her as the familiar sexual haze enveloped her mind. Its tendrils of fog separated her from her free will and curled around it until it was hidden; unavailable for her use. In moments, everything else fell away. Her only thought was to satiate the exquisite ache of desire that permeated her body. 

"Play with your tits, Iris. Pansy, spread your legs...wider, yes. Now spread your pussy and play with your clit but don't you come."

Iris' hands rose and caressed her breasts. She pinched her nipples and groaned as twin sparks sizzled through her, straight to her pussy. 

Draco raised his hand and twirled a finger. "Turn around. It's a shame the lovely red stripes have faded. I rather liked them. In fact, I liked them so much, we will be doing it again soon. No time this morning, more's the pity." He watched her playing with her nipples and his increasing arousal triggered hers. She pinched her nipples harder and whimpered. "That is so hot, Iris. Go ride Goyle's fat cock. I want to watch today." 

That sounded like the best idea ever—her pussy was in full agreement. A few steps later she straddled Goyle's lap and slowly lowered herself onto his erection. She hissed as his girth stretched her, but she was so wet and so aroused, his cock slid into her easily. Oh, it felt so full, and when he reached out and pinched her nipples, she whined with need. He bent his head and suckled one breast, then the other, biting each bud and pulling before he released it. When he reached down with one hand and ghosted a finger over her clit, she keened. 

She spiraled higher and was just at the brink, just a bit more...

"Slow down, Greg," Draco said. "You'll make her come too quick." Goyle removed his finger from her clit and she mewled in frustration. "That's it. Keep her simmering. Pansy, get over here."

Iris watched through lidded eyes as Pansy moved to stand in front of Draco. He pulled her forward and captured one nipple with his mouth and pinched the other. Pansy threw her head back and arched into him. One pale hand dropped lower and he fingered her. Iris' arousal spiked as she imagined her own fingers in that wet snatch, then her tongue lapping at it. Pansy was on her toes. She ground into his hand. When she was on the brink of orgasm, Draco backed off her clit, stroking her pubic hair. Once she had cooled off, he started the slow teasing strokes over the engorged bud once more. He edged her until she was frantic with need. 

"Draco, please," Pansy whined. "I want to come so bad, please..."

The blond wizard scowled. His voice could freeze the lake when he spoke. "Since you keep forgetting that what you want doesn't matter, I don't think I'll let you come until tomorrow. If you're lucky. In fact, you're not allowed to come unless I give you leave." He teased her clit mercilessly. "If you do, there will be consequences. They won't be pleasant." He brought her right back up to the edge of orgasm again and then stopped playing with her and pushed her down. "Right now, I want you to suck my cock, slut." 

Pansy disappeared from Iris' sight as she knelt down. Soon she could hear the sounds of fellatio and Draco's head fell back and his eyelids drooped in a sexual haze. 

Goyle applied his finger to her clit again and Iris reveled in the sensations arching across her body. Goyle knew what he was doing and never gave her enough to tip her over into orgasm. She was almost incoherent with desire. 

"That's enough, Pansy." Draco shoved her away, rose from his chair and pointed to it. "Sit down. Spread your legs wide. Wider. Hook your knees over the arms of the chair. Now, play with your tits. Yes, like that. That's so hot." He turned toward Iris and Greg. "Iris, lean over. You're getting two for one this morning." 

Draco moved behind her, spread her cheeks and murmured a cleansing and then a lubrication charm. He slipped two fingers into her ass and started pumping. She whimpered when he removed his fingers and she felt the tip of his cock instead. As he pressed in, Iris felt the burning stretch and hissed.

Draco smacked her ass. "Relax, bitch." She bore down and felt his cock slowly fill her bum.

When he was fully seated, Draco groaned. "Oh, this is so good." Then he began to move. 

Iris was consumed by sensation. Goyle wrapped his arms around her, holding her still with his cock buried in her pussy while Draco fucked her ass. She was so full, it felt so good and then Goyle wriggled a hand between them and started on her clit again. Iris wailed as she came, her cunt and ass spasming around both of their cocks. Draco plunged in balls deep as he came. Then Goyle grabbed her hips and thrust up into her snatch with brutal strokes until he reached orgasm. 

Draco pulled out and cast a cleansing spell. Iris remained boneless on Goyle's chest is a haze of sexual bliss while he rubbed circles around her back. Which was nice...

"Okay, we're done here." Draco said, abruptly breaking the spell. "Pansy, remember what I told you. Iris, get off him. Both of you go back to your rooms."

Iris lowered her lashes to hide the humiliation she felt, but could do nothing about the blush blooming across her cheeks as she removed herself from Goyle's lap. She pulled on her dressing gown and then she and Pansy fled. 

Her room was closer and they bolted inside. Iris closed and warded the door and then looked at Pansy, who's eyes were overflowing with tears. Iris buried her own mortification as she took Pansy's hands, and led her to the bed. They lay down together and Iris wrapped her arms around the other witch and pulled her close. The storm broke and she soothed Pansy with murmured nonsense as her own tears streaked a salty path down her cheeks. Pansy conjured a handkerchief, wiped her face and then raised herself up on one arm and did the same for Iris. 

"I'm so sorry you got dragged into this, Iris." Pansy sighed. 

Iris reached up and threaded her hands through the raven-black hair that tickled her face. "I'm not." She pulled gently and Pansy lowered her head. She teased Iris' lips with her tongue and Iris sucked it into her mouth as she deepened the kiss. Pansy responded with a moan. They leisurely explored each others mouths until they were both breathing hard. 

Iris gently turned the tables so that she was on top. She gazed into the lovely blue eyes she knew so well as she brushed her fingers against Pansy's soft cheek. Without breaking eye contact, she trailed her hand down; across her throat, her clavicle and around the globe of one lovely breast. She brushed a thumb across the pink peak and it hardened. Pansy's eyes fluttered shut and she pressed into her hand with a sigh. Iris lowered her head and teased the aureola with the tip of her tongue before she captured the straining bud with her mouth and sucked. 

Pansy's hips arched and her legs spread. A needy whine escaped when Iris moved to the other side, giving the other nipple the same care and attention while she pinched the first. When she had Pansy's nipples full and hard, Iris kissed her way down her twitching stomach, pausing to lave her navel before moving lower. She kissed her mound and then settled between her legs, spread her pussy and tasted her. 

Pansy's knees fell open and she moaned. "What are you doing...oh god, it feels so good...but I'm not supposed to..."

"Fuck that asshole," Iris said. "He plays at being a Dom, but he's not. Believe me, he'll never know if you don't tell him. When he asks just out-Slytherin him. Remember, he doesn't give a fuck about you or me. That should make it easier to lie about it." She lowered her head and licked her. Gods, she tasted good. Pansy's juices coated her face as she tongued her opening and then teased her labia until the other witch was arching and twisting her hips, trying to guide Iris' tongue to her aching clit. Iris smiled and ghosted her tongue across the swollen nub. Pansy's guttural groan spurred her on. She circled and flicked and teased until Pansy was incoherent with need. Iris buried two fingers into her pussy and pumped. 

Pansy thrust herself against Iris' face and buried her hands into her hair. "I'm so close..." 

Iris added a third finger to the wet snatch and drove harder into Pansy's swollen sheath. When she felt the slick walls tighten, she sealed her lips around her clit and sucked hard. Pansy came apart with a wail. 

"Oh, Pans, you're so beautiful when you come," she murmured. She licked Pansy clean before she moved up, gathered her into her arms and kissed her softly. 

"Thank you, Iris," Pansy sighed. "You are so good to me—I don't deserve it."

Iris hugged her tighter. "Yes, you do, Pans. It's Draco who doesn't deserve _you_." She said fiercely. "I just wish I could be there when Snape takes care of that little prick."

~~~***~~~

_The noise of the Great Hall seems to be at a record level this morning,_ Severus thought. _Somewhere between the mating call of the Hungarian Horntail and the crowd at the Quidditch World Cup._ He'd taken a hangover potion before his shower, and it had helped some, but his head was still beating a timpani inside his skull.

It was a small price to pay. In spite of his misgivings, Hermione's visit last night had been a balm to his tormented soul. It had been so lovely just to hold her and be held by her. Visiting her mind had made it clear that he wasn't alone in his tumultuous bewilderment at their predicament. The things he'd seen in her mind had convinced him that she was absolutely sincere in her affection for him. _For the moment._ In the entirety of his adult life, no one had ever felt like that about him before. It was difficult to believe it was happening to him now. It would be so easy to succumb to the warmth and affection she offered. Did he dare risk it? If he took that risk, and she wanted nothing to do with him once the spell was broken, his life would be unbearable. 

It was probably already too late to avoid that outcome. 

He sipped his tea with an inward sigh. His resolution last night to go with it and enjoy it for now seemed foolish in the cold, sober light of day. Melancholy settled over him, as thick as London fog.

He shot a glance at the Gryffindor table. Hermione sat in her usual place next to the Weasley girl, sipping her tea. He stopped Occluding, reached out and touched her mind. She lowered her gaze and smiled. He felt warmth and comfort through their connection. _Still here, still care about you, Severus. How's your head?_ Her amusement rippled through and he withdrew again before she made him smile.

That wouldn't do. 

He scowled instead and swept his gaze around the room. It landed at the Slytherin table. He observed that Iris and Pansy sat close together, eyes downcast and picking at their food. Draco conversed with Goyle, oblivious to their distress. Snape scowled. Keeping Draco busy in the evening hadn't stopped him from abusing those young witches. Fortunately, they had each other and, if he didn't miss his guess—there was real affection between them. Good. 

_I've got to get them out from under the pressure of the potion and soon._

The owl post arrived, cranking the noise level up another notch. Minerva used the chaos to lean over and interrupt his thoughts. "Please come to my office during your free period today regarding the issue we spoke about on Saturday," she murmured.

He nodded, paid the Prophet owl, opened the paper and hid behind it until breakfast was over.

~~~***~~~

At the appointed hour, Severus knocked on Minerva's office door and was admitted.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?"

"Yes, Professor Snape. Please come through to my sitting room." 

Minerva led the way through the same side door he'd passed through on Saturday. Merlin's balls, that was such a short time ago. Too short to have developed such a deep emotional connection to Hermione. 

_Or,_ his mind suggested helpfully, _...was it because of that intimate connection that we are able to cut through all of the usual bullshit that takes place when couples do the courting dance?_  


Minerva closed the connecting door. On the table was a tray with tea, sandwiches and biscuits. Rising from a chair was Lucius Malfoy, who greeted Snape with a nod. "Severus."

"Severus, Mr. Malfoy, please have a seat."

"Call me Lucius, please." Malfoy said graciously as they seated themselves. 

"Of course, Lucius."

"Severus, your letter was a bit short on details. You mentioned that Draco had brewed an illegal potion but failed to indicate which one."

"Lucius, we didn't want to put anything in writing." Minerva told him. "Severus, please fill in the blanks while I pour the tea."

Snape turned and observed his friend's face. To anyone else, Lucius appeared to be serenity itself. To Severus, Lucius' increased respiration and tightness around the eyes was a dead giveaway. He was very uneasy. Snape crossed his arms and delivered the bad news. 

"Your son has combined two Dark, and quite illegal, potions together to create a new and extremely nasty one. One of the potions he used is _Continuatus Conjugium_ , the other is a Dark aphrodisia..."

"'The Permanent Connection'?" Lucius interrupted. "I don't understand...why would he...?"

"His motive is unclear." Snape replied, accepting a steaming cup from Minerva. "He dosed two witches from Slytherin House, Pansy Parkinson and Iris Ichabod, with his creation. In doing so, he has bound them to him magically. With the addition of the aphrodisia, in order to complete the spell, he had to bring them to orgasm. Miss Parkinson told me she drank the potion and slept with him willingly. Miss Ichabod... did not." Severus looked directly into Lucius' horrified gaze. "He raped her, Lucius." Severus paused to let that sink in for a moment before he continued. "Those two young witches are compelled to go to him and do his bidding whenever he wishes them to. Whether _they_ want to or not. He has continued to rape and abuse them both."

Lucius took the cup that Minerva held out to him and immediately set it down. He put his hands to his temples and rubbed. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "And why have you not called the Aurors?"

Minerva leaned forward and laid a hand on his arm. "Draco needs help, and he won't get it in Azkaban. Unfortunately, Lucius, there's more to the story." She nodded to Snape.

"Saturday last, Draco used his potion on Hermione Granger in an attempt to bind her to him as well. He wanted his own, pardon me Minerva, 'Mudblood whore'," Snape said. "Fortunately, I overheard him talking about his plans. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to stop him from giving Miss Granger the potion and sexually assaulting her. I was, however, able to prevent him from the final act of raping her. I was forced to deliver the--antidote--to the aphrodisia potion to Miss Granger myself."

"Another reason to keep this situation quiet." Minerva said meaningfully. 

Lucius looked quizzically at Snape. "Does that mean that you and Miss Granger are...?"

Severus raised an eyebrow and his chin. "No. We were fortunate that the binding aspect failed. Draco didn't have access to my stores or the original recipe when he brewed his potion the last time. It appears that he made a brewing error, fortunately for both myself and Miss Granger." He sipped his tea before he continued. "Lucius, what he did on Saturday adds kidnapping to the list of charges. And, on top of everything else, I found out yesterday that he has been physically abusive to both Miss Parkinson and Miss Ichabod. He slapped Miss Granger as well."

Lucius seemed to slump. He sat back heavily in the chair and gazed at the fire. "He should be arrested," he said hoarsely. 

"That's what I said." Snape agreed. "Minerva has another idea." He sipped his tea.

"Lucius, with your permission, and eventually Draco's, since he is of age after all, I'd like to try to help him if we can before we take any steps to contact Magical Law Enforcement. For a start, I don't think any of the victims want the publicity of a trial. You can just imagine what Rita Skeeter would do with a story like this—focus on the salacious and not on the horror. Not only that, I don't want to lose my Potions Master, nor ruin the futures of the witches who are involved. Which would be the result if this got out. No, it is in everyone's best interest for us to keep this quiet and try to help Draco ourselves." 

Lucius nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"Madam Pomfrey, our Matron, and I researched mental disorders after the War, with the idea of trying to help our veterans who might need it. Magical folk don't usually have extreme mental disorders, so we had to turn to the Muggle world for enlightenment. I did some research based on what Severus has told me, and I believe that Draco is suffering from 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'. The symptoms include being easily startled, feeling tense, difficulty sleeping, and angry outbursts--among others."

"Before school started, our House Elves told me that Draco was having nightmares. He was also on edge all the time. Merlin, he hated being at the Manor. Is there a cure?"

"According to all the literature, there is no actual _cure_ , at least not one the Muggles have discovered. There is treatment, usually consisting of 'talk therapy' and sometimes the use of helpful drugs to manage it."

"'Talk therapy'?" Lucius snorted. "Muggle nonsense. Surely we can find another way to help him." He turned his grey eyes to Snape. "A potion, perhaps?"

"Perhaps. I'm working on it."

Minerva sighed. "Since we don't usually have to deal with these kind of mental issues, there's no one in Wizarding Britain who is qualified as a therapist anyway. Besides, I'm not even certain that is what is wrong with your son. Because he's a wizard, his mental issues are more serious." 

"One of the things we want to do now, is to magically confine him to Hogwarts," Snape said. "The castle and the grounds as far as the Forbidden Forest. There is a spell the Head of the school can use to do so. And she will need at least three additional people to assist her with the casting."

"I am at your service, of course."

"Thank you," Minerva said. "Draco was given detention, which is all we felt we could do for now, and he served his first last night with me. As you may know, there are still parts of Hogwarts that have not yet been repaired. I added your son to the group who are currently working on it. I hope that Hogwarts itself will be the best therapist for him. I know that everyone who helped with the castle repair over the last year was in turn helped by Hogwarts. There is old magic here and I believe it's our best hope. But first, we have to break the binding spell between Draco and those witches if we are to have any chance at all of success."

Lucius turned to Snape. "I presume what you're working on is an antidote?"

"Of course. It would be easier if I knew which specific aphrodisia potion he used. I have it narrowed down to three, based on the ingredients he took from my stores and those he had Miss Ichabod help him obtain. But that still leaves too many variables to resolve this quickly."

"I know which aphrodisia he used. You asked me if any books were missing from my library. No. there are no books missing. What is missing is a 13th century scroll with the recipe for _Perpetuus Constupro Aphrodisiae_. 'Perpetual Ravish Aphrodisia'."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "That can also be translated as 'Perpetual Rape Aphrodisia'."

Lucius sighed. "I know."

"Let's not get bogged down dithering about translations," Minerva said irritably. "Severus, do you have a copy of that particular recipe?"

"I have it in a book, which is more modern. I will check the Hogwarts Library. There is bound to be a copy of the scroll in the Restricted Section. I'd rather use the same source for my research since recipes are often changed through the years."

"Excellent." Minerva turned to Lucius. "Mr. Malfoy. I will require your assistance to cast the _Circumscriptio Tutus Finis_ shall we say Thursday night at midnight?" She raised her eyebrows at Snape who nodded. "We will meet with Draco Friday morning and 'make him an offer he can't refuse'."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "I didn't realize you enjoyed Muggle films, Minerva."

"There are many things you don't know about me, Severus," she sniffed. 

"A woman of mystery," Lucius said meaningfully. "Enchanting."

Severus almost couldn't believe his eyes when Minerva blushed. 

They finished their tea, arranged to meet again Thursday night at half past eleven, and then Lucius departed through the Floo. 

"Severus." Minerva said, all business once more. "Give me an update on your situation."

"Miss Granger and I have been able, so far, to deceive Draco and his friends and make them believe that the binding part of his potion failed. I'm not sure that he's completely convinced however, because he watches us all the time whenever we are all in the same room together. He can't prove anything as long as we maintain the charade. But..."

"But?" 

Severus sighed. "The spell's compulsion aspect is becoming more of a problem for us. We are better able to cope with when we can spend time together. Once Miss Granger is able to further develop her Occlumency skills it will be easier to resist the pressure. Her first lesson is tonight. You know as well as I do that one or two lessons will help, but—it may take weeks for her skill to be sufficient to suppress extreme emotion." 

"Quite right. How can I help?"

"Please open the castle Floo between her room and mine." Severus stared into his empty teacup. "As we anticipated on Saturday, there has been, and probably will continue to be, intimate contact between us until we find an antidote..." His expression was bleak and his voice dropped to a near whisper. "I—we--are unable to consistently withstand the spell at the moment."

Minerva's face softened. "Perhaps what the both of you are feeling is not completely due to the spell..."

Severus crossed his arms and looked away with a put-upon sigh. "Perhaps. I'm not counting on it." He scowled. "Last night, the compulsion drove Hermione to turn up at the door of my quarters after I missed dinner." _Liar. She showed up because she was worried about you._ "That can't happen again for obvious reasons."

"And does Hermione agree?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I will see to it this afternoon. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment." He looked into her eyes and said, "Thank you, Minerva."

Her gaze softened. "I know this is difficult for you, my friend. I just have one piece of advice...remain open to the possibilities."

~~~***~~~

After he left Minerva's office, Severus visited the Library. Ignoring the students, he conferred quietly with Madam Pince who reviewed the library catalogues and discovered that yes, they did have that particular scroll. Severus checked it out for a "research project" and stashed it in his quarters while he taught his afternoon classes. After the bell rang signaling the end of lessons, he escaped the mountain of essays on his desk for the serenity of his lab and busied himself with brewing the aphrodisia potion.

It wasn't difficult to brew, just fiddly. It required precise timing when adding ingredients and a delicate touch when stirring. The potion was a nice little challenge, but he had it put together pretty quickly. After the final five-minute simmer, he decanted it into a flask and then carried it into his chambers and set it on a shelf next to the bottle with the rest of Draco's potion and the sample of _Continuatus Conjugium_ , both of which were under a stasis charm to keep them from decomposing. The exercise of creating both base potions had fixed their ingredients and methods in his mind, which was an essential step in his effort to create an antidote. 

Severus took the bottle that held Draco's potion back through to his lab. He seated himself at the table, Accioed a glass slide and set it before him. He extracted two drops of the remaining liquid then re-stoppered the bottle, set it aside carefully, withdrew his wand and recast the stasis charm. He turned his attention and his wand to the slide on the table. Severus waved his wand over the slide in a specific pattern while murmuring an incantation. The spell was one of his own; created in self-defense. Sometimes, he needed to know exactly what the dunderheads had used in their failures. 

A minute passed, then two. Severus never faltered. Another minute passed. His patience was rewarded shortly after when images of the potion's ingredients ghosted up from the slide and hovered in front of him. He swept aside those he'd already used. Sneezewort and Ashwinder eggs remained and Moonstone reappeared. Interesting. These were the extra ingredients that Draco used to combine the two potions. He waved his wand through the images to disburse them, Scourgified the slide and sent it back to its shelf. He rose from the table, pocketed his wand and returned the bottle to his chamber. Then he made his way to his office, sat down at his desk and set one part of his mind to the problem of an antidote while he graded papers. 

Hours later, when the dinner bell sounded, Severus looked up in surprise. He put away his quill and capped the red ink and then threaded his fingers together and stretched his arms above his head. He made his way to the Great Hall and the Head table where he seated himself next to Minerva and raised an eyebrow at her. She gave a quick nod to his unasked question and he exhaled in relief. He surreptitiously watched the students stream in. When Hermione entered the room with her friends, her pleasure at seeing him set off the magic. He clamped down on it ruthlessly and turned to glare at a couple of Second Years at the Slytherin table. She understood his unspoken message and shielded her thoughts. The compulsion eased. 

After dinner, Severus made his way back to his office, sat at his desk and picked up a quill and a fresh sheet of parchment. He scratched out a few ideas and surrounded them with runes. As he filled the parchment with notes and theories and runes, an idea bloomed. He bent over and scribbled it down before it escaped.

~~~***~~~

The knock on the door, when it came, startled him. Severus glanced at the clock. Seven already?

"Enter," he said. He heard the door open and close and the sound of footsteps approaching. He continued writing. After several minutes, Severus put down his quill, capped the ink and rolled up the parchment. He stretched his neck from side to side, working out the kinks. When he looked up, he was caught off guard to see Hermione sitting in a chair, watching him with interest. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was just getting down an idea I've had."

"I didn't mind. I enjoy observing you as you work. Is it for an antidote to Draco's potion?"

He nodded. "I will brew a test batch tomorrow." His heart wrenched and he silenced it savagely.

Hermione chewed her lip. "I missed you today."

He resisted the urge to embrace her. They had work to do first. "Come. It's time for your Occlumency lesson. Don't pout. Occlumency—first. Then we'll visit for a bit." 

"Such a taskmaster," she grumbled good-naturedly. 

Severus led her through to his sitting room and waved at the chairs. They turned themselves to face each other as he removed his robes and coat. He draped them over the sofa and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Snape motioned Hermione into one chair and he took the other. He drew his wand, warded the door and cast a Silencing charm. Then he laid the wand across his lap and looked into her eyes. 

"As you know, Occlumency is the magical defense of the mind against external penetration. You have already learned its simplest form on your own from reading the books you were given. Well done."

She beamed. Snape realized it was the first time he'd ever praised anything she'd learned aloud and it had delighted her. 

"However, you are not doing it very well right now," he added drily. "In a moment, I am going to attempt to break into your mind using Legilimency. I want you to try to resist. Empty your mind of all thought and emotion, and use the techniques that you learned when you were taught to resist _Imperio_." He paused. "Don't be nervous if you're not successful. In fact, I would be astounded if you are able to keep me out. Let me know when you are ready."

Hermione nodded and closed her eyes. Severus felt her closing off from him as she prepared her mind for what was to come. After a few moments, she said, "Go ahead, Professor."

Snape pointed his wand at her and murmured, " _Legilimens_!"

Hermione stymied him for almost a minute before he broke through. Her most recent memories were the strongest and flashed by as he delved into her mind.

_Ditching Harry and Ginny in Hogsmeade...insisting on Firewhiskey...realizing something had been put into her drink...waking up helpless and vulnerable...a slap that made her see stars...forced to drink a potion...then the abuse..._

"No!" she cried. Snape disengaged immediately. Her voice became panicky. "Please don't do this…you know I don't want this..."

"Miss Granger?" Her eyes were open and stared straight ahead, unseeing. She appeared to be frozen in the chair. "Hermione?" 

She shook her head violently from side to side and wailed. "...it's rape!" Her voice dropped to a distressed murmur. "Oh Merlin he's mad... Must fight... non-verbal not working... can't fight... the bonds are too tight... No, no, please... not a potion... I'll hold my breath...can't...oh damn, I've swallowed it... my body is coming alive... can't control... oh, god...oh, god...please stop...please, please, please..."

Severus realized that Hermione was having a flashback. She was reliving Draco's attack in her mind. When he leaned over and gathered her into his arms, she fought him frantically. He tightened his hold to prevent her from injuring herself or him and said in his most commanding voice: "Hermione! It's Severus. I am holding you. We are in my sitting room. You are safe with me." She stopped struggling, collapsed against his chest and continued to mewl in distress. 

"...thank Merlin...Professor Snape...I need you to help me...please...my what a nice body you have..."

"Hermione. Open. Your. Eyes." He compelled her with his voice and his mind.

Much to his relief, she obeyed. Her gaze was unfocused for a moment, then she met his and her eyes filled with tears. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. Severus rubbed her back and rocked her. He opened his mind to hers and discovered that her thoughts were a jumble of horror, humiliation, shame and, above all—fear. He tightened his embrace and laid his cheek on top of her head. "Shh..." he murmured. "It's all right, love. You are safe with me." _I will always keep you safe._

Gradually her sobs subsided into hiccoughs and then sniffles. Snape conjured a handkerchief and offered it to her. She accepted it with a muffled 'Thank you', blew her nose and wiped away her tears. With her eyes downcast, she said: "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what came over me just then."

Snape took her chin gently into his hand, tipped her head up and looked into her eyes. "You had a flashback." His expression was rueful. "Hermione, please forgive me."

"Why do you need forgiving?" Her watery gaze was puzzled. 

"I should have expected... should not have attempted to break into your mind like that…" His voice dripped with self-contempt when he continued. "Your intelligence, maturity and grace since Saturday led me to believe… no that’s no excuse… I should have realized that after such a traumatic experience..." His voice was a constricted whisper. "I should have known this might happen."

She cocked her head to one side and asked, "Why? How could you have known the lesson would trigger a flashback? You don't know what it was like... what I went through..." Tears threatened once more.

"But I do." He said in a low tone as he met her gaze. "And, unlike you, I have only myself to blame. I was not kidnapped as you were. I joined up willingly, even eagerly. I was younger than you are now… it didn't stop him—them. I was... assaulted… was… given potions." He continued to meet her horrified gaze steadily as he revealed his darkest secret. "Potions like the one that was forced on you, that strip your free will... cause you do things you would never do otherwise... and make you allow, even beg for... things to be done…to you." He couldn't keep a trace of bitterness out of his tone. "Terrible things."

"These things happened to you after you joined the Death Eaters?" she asked quietly. 

"Yes." Snape raised his chin. His onyx eyes dared her to pity him as he met her soft brown ones. 

"Yes." He repeated. "Initiation they called it." His mouth twitched into his trademark sneer. "During the first rise of the Dark Lord, neither he nor his followers felt any need to restrain their—shall we say 'baser'? —desires. If there were no Muggles handy… well." He shrugged. "I was the newest recruit, the youngest and, for a few months, the most vulnerable. I thought I knew so much...was so arrogant. Well the Dark Lord disabused me of that assumption very quickly. More often than not I was the target of his— _special_ attention. Being forced, in one way or another, to do things against your will or your nature is not something one forgets. Nor the revulsion afterward... when you feel so filthy you just want to die." 

Severus looked away and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I-I was raped, Hermione. More than once. So you see—I do understand the humiliation and the shame..." He fought the memories that threatened to come flooding back to the surface. He hadn't thought about those days in years, and she didn't need to see them in his mind. "It went on until I was too powerful to be overcome by the others. The Dark Lord—he continued to do as he wished. After he was defeated the first time, I just wanted to forget... forget that any of it ever happened." He cleared his throat and met her eyes once more. "That is why I should have anticipated your reaction. Because I've had flashbacks myself." 

Hermione's eyes shone with unshed tears and she cupped his cheek with her hand.

"During the last War, the Dark Lord no longer 'favored' me with his attention. I was too old for his tastes. In fact, I believe Draco was one of his victims once Lucius and I were both absent from the Manor. As for me... it was the Cruciatus when I was out of favor." He met her eyes again. "In the end it was the snake, as you know."

"Severus, what you went through was _not_ your fault. You were just a teenager. The fact that you lived through it all and came out the other side is a miracle." She kissed him softly. 

"Occlumency helps keep the memories at bay," he said gruffly. "Do you want to know what haunts me most about this situation between us? The thought that keeps me awake at night? The fact that you, the brightest witch of your age, have been magically pair-bonded against your will to a damaged wizard twice your age who is the very last person you would normally choose as a partner. Not only that, we have no way of knowing if the binding is permanent. As if that wasn't enough, you must keep everything that has happened to you a secret from your friends—the very people who should be helping you through this. Instead you have…" He turned away. "…me." His self-loathing made him waspish. "Hardly an adequate substitute." 

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder. "Severus...I've told you more than once that you are not the last person I would choose..."

Snape couldn't suppress a scornful snort. 

"And I've also admitted that I can't be sure that you would be my first choice, either," she continued. "But." Hermione sat up, placed a gentle hand on his chin and turned his face in order to gaze into his eyes. "As the days have gone by, I've come to be glad that it WAS you. Because it has been your strength that has gotten me through everything so far and I have a feeling—" Her voice broke. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I have a feeling that it will be your strength that will get both of us through to the end of this… whatever that end is. And do you want to know something?" She dashed her tears away and her expression softened. "Knowing that you're here for me makes me stronger."

With their mental barriers down, he knew that she was being truthful. It didn't help. 

Hermione continued. "Because of our situation I have been privileged to glimpse another side of you, Professor Severus Snape. A side which I have long suspected was there, by the way." Her eyes shone as she gazed at him. 

"Stop it, Hermione. I'm not some Byronic hero in a fairy story. I have done things that would make you run shrieking from this room if you knew. You have no idea who I am," he growled.

"Who you _were_. Before. No, you weren't nice or fair to anyone before Voldemort fell—you were a right bastard with all the warmth of a Grindylow. Still can be from time to time, as it happens. But, and I've thought about this a lot... Honestly, how else could you have acted? You had to behave like a bloody-minded git—just to survive." Her soft tone took the sting out of those words. "I understand that now, better than I did before. You were always aware that Voldemort might try to look into your mind at any time, possibly successfully, in spite of your great skill as an Occlumens." Hermione laid a hand on his cheek. "So, you had to be on guard all the time. You couldn't let anyone get too close because of the fear that Voldemort might use them against you. How awful that must have been for you. I am not foolish enough to believe you never did bad things as a Death Eater. Before. Before Voldemort threatened Lily Potter..."

"It was my fault she was killed." Snape snarled, jerking his head away. "I told the Dark Lord about the Prophesy." 

"You told him _part_ of the Prophesy. A Prophesy that could have been about either Harry or Neville. _Voldemort_ is to blame for her death, by deciding it was Harry.  Peter Bloody Pettigrew is even more to blame for her death than Voldemort! He was Secret-Keeper for the Potters. He betrayed them to Voldemort. No, you're not to blame for Lily Potter's death. _You_ tried to save her by warning Dumbledore. Even Harry doesn't blame you for what happened!" 

Hermione took his face into her hands once more, gently turned him toward her and kissed him. "You _are_ a hero, Severus. Whether you want to believe it or not. You have the Order of Merlin, First Class to show for it, for crying out loud. Because of you, Harry lived. You watched over him for years, at the risk of your own life, even though he reminded you so much of his toerag bully of a father that it ate you up inside. If things had been different, you would have died for us all."

Severus gazed into her eyes. _If you hadn't come back to the Shrieking Shack._ A flicker of hope sparked and, even though he crushed it ruthlessly, he knew she'd seen it. He closed the space between them and seized her lips in a bruising kiss. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back as fiercely. He nibbled her bottom lip as they parted and she laid her forehead against his. The magic flared between them.

"I want to stay with you tonight, Severus," she whispered. "All night."

His arms tightened around her. "Hermione..." his voice was hoarse. "You know what will happen if you stay..."

"I know. I want that too, but mostly, I-I just don't want to be alone. And you don't either."

Snape pressed her head to his shoulder, closed his eyes and drew a long, shuddering breath. He understood exactly what she was feeling and her plaintive statement touched a chord in him that had nothing to do with the potion. Sharing his darkest memories had unlocked others. All the nights when he'd staggered back to the dungeon after enduring the Dark Lord's displeasure in the form of Crucio. How he curled into a ball in his bed and suffered the painful aftermath alone. All the times he'd retreated to his rooms after a long day, and spent an equally long night alone with his thoughts, dreading the next sunrise. Every time he'd sat among the members of the Order in 12 Grimmauld Place, or among his colleagues in the Headmaster’s office or the Staff Room, and still felt utterly alone. 

During his lonely life, the one thing he'd always longed for was the comfort of another human soul. Gazing into Hermione's lovely brown eyes, he discovered that he was not in such a hurry to experience that desolation again. He _didn't_ want to be alone. 

Tonight, he didn't have to be. 

"Minerva opened the castle Floo between our rooms," he said, kissing her temple. "You'll have to leave here and go back to your Common room." His mouth quirked up on one side. "As it's the end of your project time. Come back through the Floo after curfew. I'll be waiting."

~~~***~~~

It was just past nine when Hermione stepped through the fire and into his sitting room again. She carried her small, beaded purse over her shoulder. Severus rose from the sofa and gathered her into his arms. She relaxed against him with a small sigh. His restless thoughts quieted when he felt her contentment in his mind. He kissed the top of her head, gave her a squeeze, stepped back and held out his hand. She laid hers into it and he turned and led her into his bedroom. Blood pounded in his ears as the magic triggered. He forced the compulsion down. No. Tonight was not about magical binding or Dark Potions or frantic coupling. Tonight was about a wizard and his witch and their yearning to be together.

Snape waved his hand in the direction of the fireplace. The flames leapt, illuminating the room with a warm, golden glow. Hermione inhaled sharply.

"Oh, Severus, it's beautiful." She stood, rooted to the spot, while she took in the dark, luxuriant beauty of the room. 

Snape looked around, seeing it with new eyes. The center of the room was dominated by his huge, exquisite bed. The head and footboards were carved from Macassar ebony according to his own design. The headboard was in the style of a raven about to take flight. Its proud head in the center and its wings spread wide. The tips of the wings formed the bedposts, reaching toward the ceiling. The footboard had a cauldron carved in the center with steam rising from it, flowing in both directions before twisting up each corner. These too reached for the ceiling and traveled the length of the bed to meet the raven's wingtips. Velvet bed curtains of the deepest blue hung from the frame to the floor and were tied back with black satin ropes. The bedclothes matched the curtains and the mattress was deep and soft. 

It had cost a bloody fortune, and was one of his most prized possessions. Her genuine appreciation warmed him.

The side table was made from the same ebony wood as the bed. On the floor was a large rug, beautifully woven in another raven motif, with wool and silk of various shades of red and blue and green spiraling out from, and around, the center image. There was a black leather chair beside the fireplace with a small table next to it. On the table was a candle and several books. The fireplace was slate with a black marble mantle, on top of which sat a clock and a single photograph in a silver frame. 

Hermione walked to the fireplace and gazed at the picture. It was a Muggle photograph that didn't move. The subject was a woman with black hair and dark eyes, her face was beautiful yet care-worn. Her smile was sad and did not reach her eyes. 

"Your mother?" 

"Yes." 

"You have her eyes. She's lovely, but she looks so sad."

Snape made his way to the coat rack in the corner and unbuttoned his waistcoat. "She did not have much to smile about, I'm afraid." He hung the waistcoat next to his robes before he made his way to the chair, sat down and laid his head against the back of it. "Her life was so hard and so full of disappointment—myself the biggest one of all. I only wish she had lived a little longer…" He ran a hand through his long hair, pushing it back from his face. "Long enough to know that I—oh, never mind. It doesn't matter." His words were bitter with regret.

Hermione turned from the fireplace and approached the chair, stopping when she stood in front of him. "I'm sure, wherever she is, your mother knows that her son is a hero," she said softly. 

Snape reached for her and Hermione folded herself into his lap and laid her head against his shoulder. She threaded her hands through his hair over and over. After a few minutes, he heaved a sigh and relaxed. "Thank you," he said brusquely.

Hermione lifted her head. Her expression was puzzled. "What for?"

"Coming back. Being here. With me. Not asking a lot of foolish questions."

She smiled. "You've already shared more with me than you ever intended." 

"You're right." He gestured toward the bed. "Shall we?" 

Hermione nodded. She rose and with a murmur about brushing her teeth, disappeared into the bathroom with her bag. Snape undressed to his boxers, turned down the bed and slipped into it. After a few minutes, a movement near the bathroom door drew his attention. He rose onto one elbow and his eyes widened. 

Hermione stood in the bathroom doorway, illuminated by the firelight. She was wearing an ivory-colored, satin nightgown that clung to her figure. Her hair was loose and tumbled in waves over her shoulders and down her back. She walked to the bed and joined him in it. Severus pulled her close, buried his face in her hair and inhaled the familiar fragrance of honeysuckle. He found and teased her ear with his tongue, eliciting shivers from her. He pushed her back gently and balanced on an elbow as he looked into her eyes and opened his mind to hers.

Severus felt her desire for him flare, which caused the magic to thrum between them, and he ached take her then and there. He leashed that desire ruthlessly and instead, he lowered his head and kissed her softly, teasing her lips with his tongue and teeth. Hermione opened her mouth with a soft sigh and he plunged in, deepening the kiss, exploring her mouth leisurely. She tangled her tongue with his and sucked it, sending shock waves straight to his cock. After feasting on her mouth, he sucked on her swollen bottom lip before feathering butterfly kisses along her jawline to her other ear and tracing it with his tongue.

"This time, Hermione, I intend to make love to you," Severus breathed. Through their link, he felt her heart sing.

She turned her head slightly so that her mouth was next to his ear and returned the breathy favor. "I'd like that very much, Severus," she said softly. 

He vanished their remaining clothing with a thought, leaned up and drank in the sight of her. Her hair was fanned out around her head and shoulders, haloing her body with frizzy waves. Her lovely breasts boasted pink nipples which hardened under his scrutiny. Snape sucked in his breath. 

"Oh, you are beautiful, witch." 

Hermione raked her eyes over him. "You're pretty amazing, yourself." 

"I didn't realize you need spectacles," he quipped.

She laid her hand on his chest, looked deeply into his eyes, and answered seriously. "I don't." 

He felt her attraction to, and appreciation of, his body with a mixture of incredulity and wonder. _Was it possible...?_

Snape resisted the temptation of her pink-tipped breasts for the moment and indulged in a slow, appreciative contemplation of her lovely body. Her waist narrowed then flared into rather slim hips. Her legs were long and elegant; her feet small and shapely. As he followed the line of her legs upward once more, Hermione spread them and arched her back, exposing her glistening sex to his fevered gaze. Her ravenous hunger for him slammed into his mind and it took all the discipline at his command to maintain mastery of his own desire. He dragged his eyes away from the enticing thatch of damp curls, back to her lovely breasts and then her lips. After he had committed her form to his memory, Severus stretched out beside her. He nuzzled her ear with his nose before tracing it once more with his tongue. He sucked on her earlobe for a moment before he began to kiss his way, slowly, torturously, toward her lips.

Hermione was aflame with desire. When Snape finally reached her mouth, he worried her bottom lip, scraping it with his teeth then sucking it gently. When she arched her back and rubbed her breasts against his chest with a frustrated growl, he raised himself on one elbow and pressed her gently back against the pillows. He met her hot gaze with his. Barely leased passion flared in his dark eyes and she felt his hunger for her. 

His voice was a low growl and shot straight to her pussy. "Patience."

Severus lowered his head and blazed a hot trail with his lips and tongue and teeth down her neck, and across her collarbone. His hair brushed her skin, raising gooseflesh. Her frustrated whimper turned to a moan when finally, finally, he took an aching nipple into his mouth and suckled. He didn't neglect the other; he rolled and pinched the erect nub between his thumb and forefinger. The twin sensations plunged straight to her lower abdomen and smoldered.

Snape groaned when he felt those same sensations in his own body.

Hermione turned her head and bit down on his shoulder then laved it with her tongue. She traced her fingers along the hollow of his back with one hand while she slithered the other between them until she brushed the head of his cock. It was hot and hard and twitched in her hand. She stroked it, sliding her hand up to the tip and spreading his pre-come over it. Her passion grew as she felt his reaction. It was as if she had a cock—she could feel what she was doing to him. Combined with what he was doing to her it was almost overwhelming. 

Severus groaned against her breast as he pumped into her fist. It wasn't long before he was so close, he had to lever himself up and out of her reach. Hermione whimpered in protest at the loss of contact. The air swirled between them and cooled the sweat against their fevered skin. Snape took her wrists and pinned her hands above her head, locking his gaze with hers. 

_Keep them there_. 

Severus turned his attention back to her and dipped his head to taste her trembling flesh. As he kissed his way slowly down her body, he felt every sensation ghosting across his own. He paused to tease her navel with the tip of his tongue, felt her belly quiver and his own tremored in response. Snape moved lower, the scent of her drawing him like a Bludger to a flier. He dropped a kiss on her mound, pushed her legs further apart and settled between her thighs. Her pussy was wide open, its glistening petals unfurled for his pleasure. Severus spread her labia, lowered his head and took a long, slow taste of her nectar. A specter tongue skimmed him from his balls to the tip of his cock. 

A guttural moan was torn from Hermione when he circled her clit. As he continued to swirl and tease the tight bud, Severus felt the electrifying teasing on the tip of his cock. A moan he couldn't suppress was torn from him and sent vibrations through them both. He slid one finger and then two into her and pumped them as he continued to flick his tongue across and around the bundle of nerves at her center. And, oh Merlin, he felt it all as well and it was so fucking amazing. Severus' excitement built as he brought her to the edge once...twice... she strained against his face, reaching for her orgasm. 

"Severus... please..." 

Snape smiled and plunged his fingers into her at the same time he fastened his mouth around her clit and sucked hard. Hermione hurtled into shuddering spasms of pleasure. Sensation rippled across his body and Severus very nearly went with her. He stilled for a moment, fighting for control as he pulled his fingers from her and licked them clean. Then he got to his knees and covered her body with his.

Severus captured her lips in a crushing kiss and Hermione tasted herself. Her desire flared again when he nudged her legs apart and she felt the head of his cock at her entrance. She arched her hips and whimpered an entreaty. Severus locked his burning black eyes on hers and slowly pushed into her slick heat. As he filled her, Hermione experienced the exquisite sensations he was feeling... her warm sheath clutching his hard length... as well as her own incredible fullness when he finally filled her completely. Severus held himself still, allowing her body to stretch to accommodate his girth. When she arched her hips, he began to move and she lost the capacity for coherent thought. 

The magic sang in their veins. They were joined unreservedly in mind and body; experiencing both their own, and their partner's pleasure as their passion crested. When it overflowed into a simultaneous orgasm, their world narrowed to Severus and Hermione, inextricably joined together, stripped of all barriers. No secrets, no hidden agendas, no doubts. What remained was true and honest and profound. The magic wove itself around and through them and their joining became absolute, abiding and transcendent. 

They lay in each others arms afterward, their bodies and minds still joined, luxuriating in the afterglow of their shared experience and reluctant for it to end.

As their breathing returned to normal, Severus gently withdrew from her mind and body. Hermione gave a plaintive cry of bereavement at the loss of their connection. He gathered her into a warm embrace, rolled onto his back and held her trembling body close. She wept quietly. Severus felt her tears drip onto his chest as she clung to him and his own eyes burned. He was both gratified and apprehensive. They were irrevocably entwined: heart, mind and soul. Their joining was now so intimate and so deep, he wasn't sure if he would ever have the courage give her up, even if the antidote was successful.

She brushed away her tears, lifted herself and looked down into his eyes. She smoothed his hair back, the movement a caress, and bent to kiss him softly. "Severus, I lo—"

He covered her mouth with his finger. "Don't," he choked out, his voice hoarse. "Please. Don't say it." His black eyes bored into hers as he whispered. "I think I do too. And it's tearing me apart."


	8. It's Already Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It picks up exactly where Chapter 7 left off. Then we move to Wednesday morning.  
> What does Harry know? A question of trust. A possible solution is created. Quiet time. Is it love that I'm feeling?

Hermione looked down at Severus' tortured face. Tears stung her eyes and she ached for him. Even after their profound experience, he simply could not allow himself to believe that, because of their accidental binding, something wonderful had happened between them. 

She loved him with all her heart. Hermione knew that Severus felt the same way about her; she had seen it in his mind, felt it in his heart. And yet... he was stubbornly unwilling to put a name to his feelings. Hermione knew that he was afraid. Severus had a deep, abiding fear that once they found an antidote, Hermione would no longer care for him; that she would, in fact, abandon him. He believed that everything had happened too fast for their feelings to be real. On top of that, his low self-esteem made him think that he was unlovable. 

The joining of their bodies and minds tonight left no room for deception. That was the reason Hermione trusted that what she was feeling was genuine; and why she knew he felt the same way too. Severus would realize it, of that she was confident. She had to let him find his own way. And she would stick with him no matter how long it took.

She kissed his hand with a smile and then settled back down into his embrace. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around him. Severus hugged her and laid his cheek against her head with a soft sigh. _He had said it himself earlier. He was so damaged by his past, he found it difficult to accept that something good might happen to him. He had never really known what it was like for another person to love him._ Hermione's heart broke for this intelligent, extremely gifted wizard who, nevertheless, had been used, abused and discarded so many times that he expected it to happen again.

Hermione intended to prove him wrong. He didn't realize it yet, but he was hers, and she would do whatever it took to keep him.

She kissed his chest and settled against him with a contented sigh. The sound of his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

~~~***~~~

Hermione's regular breathing told Severus she was sleeping. He was shaken to his core.

She had nearly declared her love—would have if he hadn't stopped her. She believed that she loved him, he knew that from their connection. And he had come to care for her, perhaps more than he should. But it had happened so fast—how could he be certain that his feelings were real? The magic still sang in their veins when they were together, and compelled them when they were apart. He just knew that once they took the antidote that he was pretty sure he'd created, that Hermione would wake up to everything they'd done and be repulsed by it all. She would sit her N.E.W.T.s, leave Hogwarts and would carry on with her life. 

Without him.

The question was...how would he carry on without _her_?

The answer was a bitter one, more bitter now than a week ago. 

Alone. 

Always.

~~~***~~~

The soft chime of a clock woke her. She counted six and then opened her eyes, confused for a moment. A strong arm encircled her waist and a long, warm body pressed against her back. Hermione smiled as she remembered that she was with _Severus_ , in _his_ bed, and it was _his_ arm around her. She heaved a contented sigh.

This. This feeling. This was what she wanted to feel every day. The only thing she had to do was to convince _him_ that what they shared was not the result of a potion. She chewed on her bottom lip as she pondered the problem. 

The arm tightened, pulling her against him and his impressive erection. "What schemes are going through that incredible mind of yours, minx?" The sleepy, gravelly voice in her ear sent shivers scampering down her body. 

She twisted in his embrace in order to face him and kissed his nose. "I'm Gryffindor. We don't 'scheme'. We _plan_ ," she said imperiously.

Severus grinned and Hermione was delighted. "You should smile more, you know. It takes years off."

Then she was laughing because he was tickling her and then they were laughing together and then they were wrestling and then they were loving.

It was a glorious morning.

~~~***~~~

Severus sent Hermione back through the Floo at seven and then made his way to the bathroom. He took a quick shower, scrubbed himself dry and then wrapped the towel around his hips as he stepped in front of the sink. He reached for his tooth brush and stopped short. Hermione had left hers hanging next to his. The sight caused a tightness in his chest and he closed his eyes to gather himself.

When they were together, it was so easy for him to believe that once the spell was broken, he and Hermione would still be together. How long had it been since he'd laughed so much with another person? But when she wasn't with him, reality descended, along with crippling doubt, and he couldn't imagine why such a brilliant young witch would settle for him. He looked in the mirror and the eyes that gazed back were bleak. 

Minerva had advised him to remain open to the possibilities, but experience had taught him that certain 'possibilities' only worked out for other people. Gloom enclosed him like a shroud. 

Snape finished his ablutions and dressed. He shrugged into his teaching robes, left his chambers and the warmth of the morning behind for the cold, hard light of day.

~~~***~~~

When Hermione descended the stairs into the Gryffindor Common room, she found Harry sitting alone in one of the squashy chairs, with the Marauder's Map open in his lap. Dread crawled down her spine.

She tried for nonchalance. "Um, hi, Harry—Why aren't you at breakfast?"

He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the map. "I want to know what the hell you were doing in Snape's quarters."

Hermione crossed her arm. "That’s none of your business."

Harry continued to look at her steadily. "Fair enough," he said at last. "I wonder what Professor McGonagall would think about your pre-dawn wanderings…"

Anger flashed through her like Fiendfyre. "Really? You're threatening to go to the Headmistress? Have me expelled or Professor Snape sacked? After everything I did for you all these years...? Who had the foresight to pack for camping? Who was it that knew all the protective charms? Who saved your ass from Voldemort's snake?" She pushed up her sleeve and thrust out her arm. "Who was tortured for you?"

He had the grace to flush.

"And Professor Snape sacrificed _everything_ for seven years of his life for  you. The fact that he's alive is a fucking miracle." She lifted her chin, glared and pointed a shaking finger at him. "If you tell anyone what you know, Harry Potter, we are no longer friends." 

Harry's face fell and he ran a hand through his hair. "Hermione, I'm worried about you." He waved at the Map. "This proves that there is something going on, something you're not telling me. I have a feeling it's something bad. My instincts are usually correct. I am your friend. I care about you." He pleaded. "If you're in trouble, I want to help. I'm begging you to let me help."

Hermione felt her anger melt into exhaustion. "Harry," she began, "I appreciate everything you're saying—but there is nothing you can do to help me…"

"Oh, charming." 

"...because Professor Snape is the only one who can, and he already is."

"Why?" Harry said, bewildered. "Why is Professor Snape the only one who can help you get through—whatever it is?" His eyes flashed emerald fire, the only sign of his anger. "Please help me understand."

Hermione pursed her lips and looked at her shoes. If she didn't tell him something, he would talk about his suspicions to Ron, Ginny, Luna...anyone. She couldn't allow that to happen, for Severus' sake. In order to maintain some sort of control over things, she decided she would tell him something, but not everything. 

"Okay, Harry. I'll tell you—only very generally—what I am dealing with at the moment, on two conditions." She met his gaze stonily. "First: you cannot tell anyone else—including Ron or Ginny—"

His eyes widened in disbelief.

She raised her eyebrows and repeated emphatically, "—that’s right, _including Ron and Ginny_. Or anyone else. I mean it, Harry. I require your vow as a wizard. I know he's your best mate, and she's your girlfriend. I don't give a damn. You want to know why? Because, you are forcing  me to betray a confidence by telling you…" she trailed off. "...about what's happened. But short of _Obliviating_ you..." She gazed into his eyes. "You've forced me into a corner, so I have no choice. And I hate it."

His jaw dropped at her mention of the memory-altering spell. "Hermione, what the fuck—?"

"Secondly," she continued. "You must agree not to interfere. No matter what happens."

"Hang on a minute. Does that mean you are in danger?" 

Hermione heaved a weary sigh. "The chance of me being in any danger from this situation is slim. _Except for the danger to my heart._ Professor Snape is looking after me. _Very closely._ Look, I'm starving and we have class in an hour. Tell you what—you think about it. If you can't agree to my terms, then… go to the Headmistress, for all the good it'll do you. She already knows what happened." She turned and began to walk toward the door to the Common room.

"Wait." She stopped with her back to him. "I agree to the first. As for the second, I will agree only up to the point where you are in mortal danger. I can't give you any assurances that you will believe about my future behavior if I discover that your life is at risk."

Hermione closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. There really wasn't much chance of her life being at risk, and she didn't want Harry watching her all the time. She could Obliviate him, no one would know, but since he had that bloody map—it was almost certain that they would be in this exact situation again the next time he woke up early. The concession she'd wrung out of him was better than nothing. Still, she felt as if she was betraying Severus, and there was no doubt that he would be furious when he found out. There was nothing else for it. She had to tell Harry something unless she was willing to destroy the Map. And this way, she could control exactly how much information to give him. Hermione turned, made her way to the other squashy chair and sat down, tucking her legs beneath her. She looked into his eyes, saw the concern there and sighed.

"Do I have your word?"

He nodded. 

"Right. Last Saturday, after I left you and Ginny, I wandered over to the Hog's Head." 

"You told me that already."

"Be patient!" She said irritably. "Anyway, I went in and sat down and I was joined by a couple of the Slytherin girls." 

"Let me guess...Pansy Parkinson and Iris Ichabod."

She nodded. "Yes. I had a drink…" Her voice trailed off for a moment. Harry reached over, took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "One of them slipped a potion into my drink." 

Harry’s eyes narrowed. "What kind of potion?"

She lowered her gaze to her lap. She did not want to unintentionally give away just how little she was going to tell him. That way, perhaps Severus wouldn't be too angry.

"A Dark one. A potion that would magically bind me to—Draco Malfoy."

Harry’s grip had become crushing. "That motherfucker. I'll fucking kill him." 

She extracted her hand from his. "Rubbish. You'll do no such thing." She continued. "Professor McGonagall believes he is suffering from a mental breakdown." 

"That doesn't give him the right..." Harry fought to hold on to his temper.

"Professor Snape," her voice faltered slightly, "arrived in time to prevent me from being bound to Malfoy...but..."

Harry’s eyes widened as the penny dropped. "Oh—Hermione—you're—you're not bound to _Professor Snape_ …?"

She looked him in the eyes and nodded. 

"Sweet Merlin," he whispered. "When you say 'bound'..."

"Magically bound to one another." _It's wonderful._ "Honestly? It isn't as bad as you might think. When we are apart, we feel the urge to be together. If we ignore the urge, it becomes a compulsion. The Headmistress suggested the N.E.W.T. potions project for our cover story. It enables us to spend time together while we work to find an antidote. Oh, Harry...I am assisting him. You know how much I've wished for the opportunity to brew potions with Professor Snape. It's a dream come true for me." _In more ways than one._

Harry gazed into her eyes, and Hermione knew that he wished he was a Legilimens; she was equally thankful that he wasn't. After a few moments, he sat back with a resigned sigh. "Bloody hell."

"Now do you understand why I need your promise to keep this to yourself? The potion Draco used is not only Dark, it's illegal. If this got out—imagine if Rita Skeeter got hold of this story—" She grimaced. "Professor Snape's career would be finished. He'd be forced to leave the school. And I would be too. That potion is considered cursed, Harry. _We_ would be considered cursed! McGonagall told us that we would probably have to live as Muggles in order to survive."

Harry's face was grim. "Is that the reason that Draco hasn't been arrested?"

"Yes, partly. Professor McGonagall wants to try to help him too, if she can. Pansy and Iris are already bound to him, and they need help more than I do. They are being forced to do his bidding. Daily." She paused for a moment then continued more quietly. "Honestly, Harry, I am so lucky. I am thankful every day that it's Professor Snape and not Draco. Draco...abuses Pansy and Iris in terrible ways. Professor Snape...doesn't." Hermione looked into Harry's eyes again. "He is very kind to me, as hard as that might be for you to believe, when we-we are compelled to be together by the spell. That's why I was with him. If we don't spend time together, the spell would force us to do so—at a time not of our own choosing. What if it happened in the Great Hall? Or during Potions class? Draco might find that amusing. I wouldn't. Neither would Professor Snape."

Harry spread his hands. "What can I do to help?"

"Stop being so damned protective. I know you're only trying to help, but I want you to remember, Professor Snape is protecting me. We have been working the last few days, pretty successfully so far, to convince Draco that his binding potion failed to work on us."

Harry held up a hand. "Wait a minute...are you telling me that the Ferret thinks that his potion failed?"

"I don't know if he's completely convinced yet. He's very suspicious and watches us whenever we're in the same room, looking for any sign of the binding. But we've planted doubt in his mind, and we'd like to keep it there. Because if he starts to suspect that it worked, Professor Snape and I would be in big trouble." She looked at him. "Now you know. Can I count on you to keep our secret?" 

"Can't I just tell Ginny? I don't like keeping things from her."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry, Harry. But the more people who know, the greater the chance of it getting out." She took out her wand and held it loosely. "If you prefer, I can Obliviate you. If not, I'm going to need your word as a wizard that you won't tell anyone."

Harry sighed as he pulled his wand out of his pocket and gripped it. "Okay, Hermione. I give you my word as a wizard that I will not tell anyone else about you and Snape." The tip of his wand glowed for a moment and then faded. 

They rose from the chairs and she hugged him. "Thank you, Harry. Blimey, will you look at the time? We'd better get down to breakfast." She tucked her wand away, turned and left the Common room with Harry behind her. As they ran down the stairs, Hermione was doing her Occlumency exercises--for all the good it would do.

Merlin help her, Severus was going to be furious.

~~~***~~~

Snape sipped his tea as he glanced at the Gryffindor table again. Hermione still hadn't arrived for breakfast.

 _It wasn't like her to be so late. Where the hell is she?_

The owl post arrived. He paid the Prophet owl, poured a second cup of tea he didn't want and opened the paper; pretending to read in order to keep himself from looking for her again. A few minutes later, the door opened and Hermione entered. His relief was short-lived because she was followed by...

Potter. Who glanced at him then quickly away. Snape's blood ran cold. 

_Bloody Hell._

His eyes narrowed as he observed Hermione from behind the paper. She had seated herself next to the Weasley girl without looking at him. _Shite._ Since Monday, she always risked a glance at him in the Great Hall. He frowned. Why wouldn't she look at him? Unless...something had happened that she didn't want him to know about. He slanted a look at Potter and saw the young wizard's eyes slide away. Horror slithered through him. Damn and blast. _What did she tell Potter? I must know. Now._

Snape lowered his mental shield and with a lightning strike, reached into Hermione's mind. To her credit, her only outward reaction to his invasion was a widening of her eyes. 

_What do you think you're doing?!_ She threw up mental barriers as fast as he battered through them.

_What did you tell Potter about us?_

_He figured out that I was in your rooms this morning…Severus, please…I had to tell him something..._ She was using the 'obstacle' method from the book he'd lent to her, throwing up walls in her mind. She refused to look at him, which made his task more difficult.

Snape cursed himself for giving her the Occlumency book. He continued to hunt for the specific memory he sought. He felt her gathering her mental energy and he shouted in her mind:

_TELL ME WHAT HE KNOWS, DAMN IT!_

_SEVERUS, THIS IS NOT THE WAY YOU TREAT SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT—GET—OUT!_

With a mighty heave, she flung him out of her mind.

Snape glared at the Hall in general. He was grudgingly impressed by her ability to eject him from her mind. He could force the issue, of course, but Draco seemed very interested, so he would leave it for now. Severus scowled at Draco who turned his attention to his breakfast. 

Fine. If that's the way she wants it... he would wait. But he wasn't happy about it... He opened the paper with a snarl. And she wouldn't be, either.

~~~***~~~

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny asked.

Hermione stretched, rolled her shoulders and smiled at her friend; she was well aware that Harry had become very still beside her. She sipped her tea and buttered a slice of toast.

"Sorry, Ginny. I was miles away." She smiled at her friend.

"You looked like you were in pain." 

"I do have a bit of a headache, but I'll take care of it." _Once I get a few things straight with him._

A disgruntled Prophet owl landed in front of her. Hermione paid it and apologized for keeping it waiting with a piece of bacon. She opened the paper and hid behind it as she drank her tea, willing her head to stop aching. _I can't believe he did that to me._ she thought. _I thought he was beginning to trust me..._ She felt her eyes burn and fought back the tears that threatened. What hurt the most is that she would have willingly shared the information with him if he hadn't attacked her. And she'd just told Harry how well he was treating her. Severus couldn't have hurt her in a worse way. 

When the bell rang signaling the beginning of classes, she rose and picked up her toast to eat along the way. As she left the Great Hall, Hermione glanced at the Head Table, but Severus was gone. 

~~~***~~~

Hermione spent most of the day thinking about Potions class and how she was going to deal with Severus. There was no doubt that he would still be fuming because she hadn't responded to his invasion of her mind with the information he sought. She was under no illusion that he would forgive and forget before she had a chance to speak to him alone. He was still a vindictive bastard, especially when he was angry. Professor Snape would find a to chastise her, probably during class. That was certain.

Well, she would cope with whatever he dished out. She wouldn't allow him to just shuffle through her mind anytime he wanted to whenever he was anxious about something. He either trusted her or he didn't—and, this morning, it had been very obvious that he didn't. That knowledge hurt. It hurt more than she expected it to, especially after everything they'd shared. She was determined to stick it out--to show Severus that she wasn't going to abandon him like so many others. But, in order for their relationship to work, he had to learn to trust her. 

She spent the rest of the day wondering what he would do during Potions to make her life a misery, because it was the perfect opportunity for retribution. After all, he was Slytherin through and through, so retribution was certain. 

When the time for Potions finally arrived, after Professor Snape's usual dramatic arrival in class, she reached out tentatively with her mind and found his mental barrier firmly in place. 

_You mean you don't want someone rummaging through your mind? Surprise, surprise._ She thought at him sarcastically.

He ignored her.

"I have been informed by Madam Pomfrey that there is a shortage of Pepper Up potion in the Hospital wing. Potter, Granger, Malfoy and Ichabod, that is your assignment today. You know the recipe. The rest of you will work on Blood Replenishing Potion. The ingredients and instructions," he waved his hand. "...are on the board." He glared at the classroom. "There will be no need to talk." He turned over the hourglass. "Begin." He strode to his desk, sat down, took out a stack of essays and his red ink. After a final glare at the class, he lowered his head so his hair hid his face and started marking essays. 

And there it was. The perfect retribution. Professor Snape had set a particularly tricky potion for the rest of the class, while she was stuck brewing the ridiculously simple Pepper Up. She was determined not to let him upset her. He was in the wrong, and he was smart enough to realize it sooner or later. In the meantime, she would brew the best Pepper Up potion ever.

She and Harry rose at the same time. She looked at him quizzically. "It's my turn to fetch the ingredients." 

"I thought I'd get them today... save you from dealing with the Ferret." Harry said in an undertone. 

Hermione sighed and murmured. "This is exactly what I asked you not to do, Harry. Appearances, remember? I'll be right back." 

In the storage cupboard, while she was choosing her ingredients, all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Before she could turn, Draco pinned her against the shelves with his body, trapping her between his arms. His hot breath on her neck made her skin crawl.

"All I see whenever I look at you is your naked body, Granger." He growled into her ear. "I can't stop thinking about your gorgeous tits. Look at what you do to me." He rubbed his erection against her bottom. "I dream about you begging me to fuck you. I'm still willing, what do you say?" 

Hermione stomped hard on his foot. She ground her heel, and he stumbled back with a grunt of pain. She whipped out her wand, turned and pointed it between his eyes. "That will only happen in your dreams, Malfoy." She sneered at him. "Besides," she flicked her eyes down then up again, "you just don't measure up." Hermione adjusted the angle of her wand. "Now, leave me alone before I hex your bollocks off." 

As she started to move past him, Draco grabbed her upper arm. "I noticed that Snape seemed to miss you this morning. I wonder if my potion had a delayed reaction for you two?"

Hermione forced herself to looked directly at him. "That's wishful thinking on your part," she said scornfully. "You just can't handle the fact that you made a mistake and your plan failed so spectacularly. Did you make an error when you copied the recipe? Or was it during the brewing?" She shrugged off his hand. "Stand aside and let me pass. The Headmistress knows what you tried to do to me, so I don't think there would be any repercussions if I hex you...give me a reason."

Draco stepped back and said. "I'll be watching you both." 

"I don't give a toss how you spend your time, Malfoy." Hermione kept her wand pointed at him until she left the storage room. She hurried back to her table, seething inwardly. If Severus knew what had just happened, he hadn't done anything to help her at all, the bastard. _If the binding hadn't happened, he wouldn't have known anyway. He couldn't come without giving everything away. You know that._

Hermione wasn't in the mood for logic. She was angry and hurt, but she hid those feelings behind a wall in her mind so that outwardly, she was serenity itself. She took her place next to Harry and they prepared the ingredients for the potion. As she worked, her thoughts drifted back to Severus. 

_I know he has trust issues. But, damn it, he has to understand that it's not okay for him to forage through my mind willy-nilly any time he gets his knickers in a twist. Severus would never allow anyone to do that to HIM. Hell, his mind is sealed up so tight right now, the only way to get through to him would be to activate the spell._ She sighed. _I won't do that to him--not even to make a point._

~~~***~~~

_You mean you don't want someone rummaging through your mind? Surprise, surprise._

Snape was taken aback by Hermione's jibe. Of course he didn't want anyone rummaging through his mind. He hadn't been 'rummaging' through hers, either. He'd simply been looking for a specific memory to satisfy himself that their secret was safe. That was perfectly understandable. But rummaging? That was a bit much, wasn't it? She was being unreasonable. _Rummaging? Really?_ No. If she had just shown him the memory everything would be fine. _Maybe he did rummage. A little. But it was warranted._

Bloody Potter. This was all his fault.

Severus scowled over the essay he was marking and watched Hermione through the curtain of his hair. She and Potter both stood. After a few words, he sat back down and Hermione made her way to the ingredient storage closet and disappeared inside. And, as certain as Peeves tormenting the First Years, there was Draco right behind her. Snape's gaze followed the young wizard until he disappeared into the closet. Time ground to a halt and Snape sat in an agony of indecision, essay forgotten, waiting for them to reappear. Just as he had decided to open his mental connection with Hermione, she reappeared. Her face was flushed with anger. Draco, his face twisted into a scowl, limped out a moment later. Severus smirked inwardly. She had handled him without any help. 

_Well, of course she did. And she will continue to do so. After I find the antidote, what more use will she have for me?_ His stomach plummeted to his toes. _She'll throw me over and try to forget any of this ever happened. Open to the possibilities. There are no possibilities for you, Snape._

He closed his eyes, quietly took a deep breath, and then cleared his mind. When he was calmer, he returned to marking the essays in front of him as the sand drained from the top of the hourglass, just like his hopes.

~~~***~~~

Pepper Up was one of the simplest potions to brew, so the class time seemed to drag on endlessly for Hermione. Sweet Circe, Severus knew just how to get to her. Denying her the mental stimulation of a tricky potion was the perfect retaliation, but she tried not to let him see how it affected her. Finally, after what seemed like a week, the sand finished running out of the top of the hourglass.

"Bottle your potions, leave them on the table and turn in your homework. Tonight, ten inches on the uses of Blood Replenishing Potion. Once you have cleared up you are dismissed." Severus never looked up from the essays in front of him.

Harry bottled the Pepper Up and Hermione labeled the bottles. He finished and then cleaned the cauldron and their station. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows at her. She shook her head with a frown. He gave her a rueful grin and sauntered out of the room. 

She dithered with the labels to ensure that, when she'd finished, she was the only one left in the room apart from Professor Snape. Hermione approached his desk with her homework and much trepidation. She placed the parchment on top of the stack and lingered for a moment to give him a chance to say something—anything—to her. An apology would due for a start. After a minute, it became clear that he was not going to apologize, or even acknowledge her. As a last resort, she reached out with her mind--only to encounter his mental wall, still as strong as ever. When he stubbornly continued to hide behind his hair correcting the essay in front of him, her heart fell into her stomach. Hermione felt the burn of hot tears in her eyes and fought them back with a vengeance.

_Damn it, she would not let him see her cry._ She lifted her chin, turned on her heel and walked back to her table. She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder and headed for the door.

~~~***~~~

Severus had never spent a longer hour. Occasionally, he would glance through his hair at Hermione who was sitting at the table, bored out of her mind. She was hiding it well, but he knew her well enough to recognize the signs. Assigning her the task of brewing Pepper Up was spiteful, he knew. It had seemed like the right thing at the time, but now he was having doubts. At long last, the sand trickled into the bottom of the hourglass. Finally. He spoke without raising his head.

"Bottle your potions, leave them on the tables and turn in your homework. Tonight, ten inches on the uses of Blood Replenishing Potion. Once you have cleared up you are dismissed." _Merlin, please let her leave quickly._

The students hurried to do his bidding, anxious to get out of the classroom. He noticed that Hermione was being inordinately precise as she labeled the bottles. He steeled himself and when she finally approached his desk, he kept his head resolutely down. She stood there for a few agonizing moments while he pretended to mark the essay in front of him. When she reached out with her mind he nearly broke, but his years as a double-agent helped keep his mental walls firmly up. He heard her take a shaky breath, and then her footsteps moving purposefully away. He glanced up, watching her, until she reached the door.

"Miss Granger." 

She stopped with her hand on the doornob. "Yes, Professor?"

"Report back here at six to begin work on your N.E.W.T. project."

_Be prepared to explain what you have told Potter…and why._

_I would have told you this morning if you hadn't invaded my mind that way._ She sent back furiously. 

"Yes, Professor." 

She flung herself out of the room. 

Snape dropped the quill, put his head in his hands, and sighed.

~~~***~~~

At six precisely Hermione knocked on the Potions classroom door.

"Enter."

Hermione strode in and made a beeline for his desk. Severus kept his head down as before and continued to mark the essay in front of him. Hermione waited ten seconds...twenty...when she had counted to thirty, she placed her hand squarely in the center of the parchment. Severus covered his surprise with irritation and looked up, shaking his hair away from his face. 

"What do you think you are doing, Miss Granger?" 

"I am not going to submit to your little games for one more moment, _Professor_ Snape." She was furious. "I have something to say to you and I intend to say it before we go any further with…" She waved her hand between them. "Any of this."

Snape put his quill down, leaned back and steepled his fingers. He raised an eyebrow.

"Pray, continue."

"What you tried to do this morning at breakfast was vile. To attack and invade my mind like you did—that was almost as bad as what Draco did." Hermione crossed her arms. "You asked for my trust the other day and I gave it to you. I thought you trusted me, as well. It seems I was mistaken."

Snape crossed his arms with a scowl. How could he explain the abject horror he had felt when he realized that _Potter_ of all people seemed to know their secret? That his future was in that young wizard's hands? She had obviously told Potter about them and she talked about _trust_? 

Severus Snape trusted no one but himself. 

Except...he cared for Hermione. Probably more than he should. Certainly more than he acknowledged, even to himself. For the first time since he was fifteen, Snape cared what another person thought of him. This feeling was inconvenient because it meant that his actions had consequences. 

Fuck. He was going to have to apologize. 

Severus took a deep breath. "Miss Granger—Hermione—you're correct. What happened this morning was inexcusable," he said. "I don't think I can adequately explain my actions. You need to see it from my point of view. I want to show you my memories from this morning which I hope will give you the insight you require to forgive me. Please look." He opened his mind to hers. 

She held herself closed off from him while she considered. Moments turned to minutes and he was beginning to wonder if it was any use when he felt a tentative touch from her. He allowed her to glimpse the moment he realized that Potter knew _something._ The stomach-churning horror that had flashed through him. The need to satisfy himself that the extremely personal problem they shared was still a secret. And, overarching all of that, his fear that the more people who knew meant the more chances of their secret being revealed and ruining both their lives. Especially _hers_ —and he could not, _would not_ allow that to happen. He cared about her too much.

Snape felt warmth and understanding reach through the link and envelop his mind. He relaxed for the first time since that morning. Then she shared the memory of her conversation with Potter. He experienced her horror at being confronted, her decision to tell her friend something of the truth, her elation when he accepted her abridged version of the problem. And this: _I am so lucky. I am thankful every day that it's Professor Snape and not Draco_ made him feel terrible about his actions. 

After he watched Hermione demand a Wizard Vow from Potter to keep what she'd told him a secret, Snape withdrew from her mind. 

"I knew that was no ordinary piece of parchment."

"I trust you will not use this knowledge to confiscate it. It's very handy."

"I won't." Snape rubbed his temples and sighed. "Hermione, I apologize. Can you forgive an exhausted, overwhelmed wizard who is out of his depth?" 

Hermione looked deeply into his eyes. "I wish that you could trust me, Severus." Her gaze was troubled. "Whether you have access to my mind or not. You know what this sort of contact causes—is causing right now." 

Snape understood only too well. The intimacy of their mind touch had sparked his desire into a flame. He stood, opened his arms and she flung herself into his embrace. He wrapped his robes around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head as she slipped her arms around his waist. 

"Hermione, you know something of my past." She nodded. "Then you must understand that trust is... difficult for me. In fact, it's almost impossible." He buried his face in her hair. "Everyone I have ever trusted has betrayed me." Snape tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes. "Every fucking one."

"Severus—I swear to you right now—I will never betray your trust. Trust is the bedrock on which relationships are built." She held him tighter. "And I want this relationship to continue."

_Relationship? I can't think of it that way yet. I just can't. I have to protect myself just in case..._

"The habit of a lifetime isn't something that will be overcome in a few days...or even weeks. I'm not sure if..." He shook his head and took a deep breath. "You are a balm for my very soul, Hermione Granger. If I can learn to trust anyone—it will be you. I ask you to accept that, and to know that I am doing the best that I can."

She didn't shield her mind fast enough to hide her flash of disappointment. Yet, she still stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Take all the time you need. I told you...I'm not going anywhere." She cleared her throat. "Draco saw what happened at breakfast. He cornered me in the ingredients room this morning to gloat at me. I denied his accusation, but I don't think he believed me."

Severus had gained control of his body. He stepped back and frowned. "It won't matter after tomorrow, if everything goes the way we hope it will." He motioned for her to follow as he made his way into his personal lab. "I would appreciate your help," he indicated a silver cauldron heating over a flame as he approached the table. "I sketched out a recipe for an antidote that has some promise." He picked up the parchment that he'd been working on. "I want to put it together and I require your assistance."

"Gladly!"

"Thank you." He turned to the cauldron. "Now, let's get busy. Please chop these, crush those and I will mince these." 

They worked companionably preparing the ingredients and adding them to the cauldron according to Severus' instruction. Occasionally, when he was fiddling with the ingredients, he asked her to cast runes to assist with the creation of the new potion. When they finished, he stood back and wiped his face. 

"Now, we let it simmer overnight." He looked over the cauldron at her. "Then, we test it."

He felt a stab of fear from Hermione. "Severus...I don't...I don't want to lose our connection." Tears pooled in her eyes. "I don't want to drink the potion when it's finished."

He walked around the cauldron, gathered her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. How could he explain that that was the only way he could be certain of their feelings? Especially her feelings. He couldn't. That would be admitting he didn't trust himself or her. He wouldn't explain anything. But he would drink the potion. 

And so would she. 

Severus tipped her face up with a finger beneath her chin, lowered his head and kissed her gently. "We must, Hermione. And now, it's time for you to go back to your Common room."

"Severus...I'd like to spend the night here with you again tonight." Her eyes were wide and her face hopeful. She was trying to keep from compelling him—giving him the opportunity to decline. 

"I still have papers to grade..."

"I'll bring my homework." She reached up and cupped his cheek. "After the day I've... _we've_ had, I need some peaceful time with you. Please." 

Neither said out loud what they were both thinking... _It may be the last time._

He placed his hand over hers and closed his eyes. "All right, Hermione. I'd like that. Come back through the Floo when you can."

A little pressure from her hand pulled his head down and she brushed his lips with hers. He opened his eyes and fell into her shining brown ones. "I'll see you soon." Then she turned and moved toward the door. She paused when she got there. "Will you drop the wards, please?"

"I changed the wards here and in my chambers to recognize you, Hermione."

Hermione turned slowly around and the expression on her face was a mixture of joy and disbelief. She ran toward him and flung herself into his arms. Severus couldn't restrain a smile as he caught her in a hug that lifted her off her feet. As long as her face was so close, he kissed her for good measure before he set her down again. 

"I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me," she said gaily as she bolted from the classroom.

"Too late," he murmured as the door closed behind her. "I miss you already."

~~~***~~~

When Hermione came through the Floo with her books a half an hour later, Severus was seated on the sofa with his legs stretched out. He had removed his robes and coat and rolled up his shirtsleeves. He had a stack of parchment on his lap and a quill in his hand. The bottle of red ink hovered nearby.

"Welcome back," he said. 

Hermione brushed his lips with hers before heading over to the chair by his feet. "Thanks."

"Would you like some tea?"

"Maybe later."

Severus' gaze softened as he watched her settle, cross-legged, into the chair and, with a quick smile at him, pull out a book, parchment, quill and ink and begin working. He bent his head so that his hair covered his face and tried to concentrate on the papers in front of him, but his gaze kept being drawn to Hermione.

She was lovely sitting there, scratching away at her essay, lit by the golden glow of the firelight. Her hair was pulled on top of her head in a messy bun, to keep it out of her way while she wrote, which exposed her slender neck. She was wearing a loose-fitting tee shirt and a pair of pajama pants; blue with white clouds on them. Her feet were bare, as she'd kicked off her slippers when she'd settled into the chair. 

"If you keep staring at me, you'll never get finished," she said with a smile. 

He shook back his hair and grumbled. "You're very distracting. Much more interesting than these First Year's essays."

She chuckled and looked up at him. "The sooner we finish; the sooner we can go to bed." 

And just like that, he was hard as a rock. Severus was glad the essays were in his lap. "We'd better get back to work, then," he growled. He bent his head and started grading in earnest. 

As the time passed, he couldn't resist peeking at her from time to time. It was almost unbelievable that she was here. And having her here was surprisingly nice. He had always preferred to be alone—he'd thought—but Hermione was different. She didn't feel the need to fill the silence with a lot of foolish chatter, and she focused completely on what she was doing. Occasionally, she would catch him watching her and flash a quick smile before returning to her work. Severus fixed this image of her in his mind. He wanted to remember it forever.

"There," she said, as she closed her book. "I'm finished. How about you?" She waved her hand and her books, parchment, quill and ink straightened themselves into neat piles then put themselves into her bag. 

Severus waved his hand and the ink capped itself and set itself down on the table. He laid his quill and the rest of the parchment in his lap next to it. "Grading homework is never-ending around here. I've had enough for tonight." 

"That's good," she said and stretched to her feet. She padded over, straddled his lap, took his face into her hands and kissed him warmly. Severus kissed her back while he buried his hands into her hair, pulling out the comb that held it up so that it tumbled down around her shoulders. As their kisses became hotter, his erection returned and she ground herself into it. The spell ignited. 

Hermione abandoned his lips and kissed her way along his jaw to his ear. She expelled a hot breath before she traced it with her tongue. She nibbled the lobe and he shivered.

Severus hadn't intended to be intimate with her tonight, but for Merlin's sake, he was only human. He could feel her need for him as vividly as his for her. He arched his hips, and she moaned.

"Oh Hermione, love," he said against her cheek. "As tempting as this is, I'd prefer to retire to the bedroom, if it's all the same to you." 

She gave his earlobe a tug with her teeth, then rose and met his fevered gaze with her own. "Yes, let's." She slid down his body until she was between his legs, kissed the erection that was straining in his trousers, and then rose to her feet. She turned and walked toward the bedroom. He got up, and caught her in a few strides. She squeaked when he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He closed and warded the door and lit the fireplace as they passed by. Severus stopped beside the bed, set her on her feet, and took her into his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her slowly and thoroughly. Severus stopped Occluding and surrendered himself to the magic that pulsed between them. 

"Let me in, Hermione," he murmured against her lips. "I don't want any barriers between us tonight."

_Because it might be our last night together._

She slid her hands into his long black hair, pushed it away from his face, and looked into his fathomless black eyes. _I love you, Severus._ She stood on tiptoe and kissed him as she opened herself to him, holding nothing back. The kiss deepened and they felt the magical intermingling of their minds and thoughts and feelings. It was achingly intimate. Hermione whimpered.

Severus banished their clothing to the chair, lifted her onto the bed, and then climbed in and settled down alongside of her. With a thought, the bed curtain tiebacks fell away, cocooning them together, shutting out the world. He lowered his head and teased her mouth with his. He nibbled her lips, coaxing them open. He explored her mouth leisurely—feeling her passion stir and curl into his own body. She tasted of peppermint and sunshine and he feasted on her as if he was starving and she was his only sustenance. 

Hermione drew back, kissed the side of his mouth and then kissed her way along his jaw. She skimmed her hand over his shoulders until she reached his chest. She pressed him down onto his back and then took a moment to look at him. 

His hair was fanned out around his head and shoulders, framing his face—the face that was so very dear to her. No one would call it a handsome face. The thin lips and prodigious nose kept it from being regarded as anything so mundane. Yet...his cheekbones were high, his chin strong. And beneath the prominent brow, his eyes... those black eyes that she'd always thought glittered with such malice, were so warm they scorched her with their heat; and so deep, the universe might be hidden within. She threaded her fingers through his hair, cupped his cheek, bent and gently kissed him. 

Before long, Hermione abandoned his lips and laid butterfly kisses along his jaw before moving to his neck. She trailed her tongue along his collarbone then made her torturous way to his chest. When she laved his nipple, he gasped, and she felt her ghost tongue on her breast. She nibbled, licked and sucked until they were both moaning. She kissed her way along the path of silky black hair until she reached his navel. She teased it with the tip of her tongue while she wrapped her hand around his cock. Severus' hips jerked upward and a gasp was torn from him. 

Hermione sneaked a peek at his face and discovered him watching her. She held his gaze as she positioned herself beside his hip, rose to her knees, and licked the head of his cock, tasting the pearl of pre-come there. A guttural groan was torn from him, his head fell back and his eyes closed. Hermione swirled her tongue around the head of his penis, teasing the underside before exploring every part she could reach. Phantom sensations teased her clitoris as Hermione experienced everything that she was doing to him. She took him into her mouth, as far as she could, and locked her lips around the velvet hardness of his shaft. She slowly pulled it out, teasing the underside with her tongue as she went. Then, she sucked it back in again, just as slowly. 

The witch was driving him mad. Severus fisted the bedclothes to stop himself from taking Hermione's head in his hands and fucking her hot mouth. No force on the planet could stop his hips from jerking every time she sucked. When she took his bollocks into her hand and fondled them, he groaned. He was with her in her mind as she learned what he liked and repeated those things. It was the most exquisite torture, knowing what she intended just before she did it. Too soon, he was painfully hard and so close...

"Hermione, stop, please..." he ground out. 

She knew how close he was to orgasm, because that's exactly where she was too. Hermione stopped with her mouth around the head of his cock, met his eyes and then licked it like a lolly. He growled as she kissed her way back up his body. When she reached his mouth, she coaxed it open with her tongue and explored it meticulously as she straddled his hips. Hermione rose to her knees and her eyes never left his. She reached down and guided his cock to her entrance. Her eyes rolled back and her eyelids fluttered down as she lowered herself onto him and buried his shaft inside her. 

"Oh, Merlin, Severus. This feels so good." She rocked forward, and down, finding her rhythm, after which she started to ride him in earnest. 

Severus reached up and caressed her breasts, teasing her nipples and sending shock waves through them both. The pleasure was almost overwhelming and he fought for control. Holding on through the bliss of their coupling was the most exquisite torture. He trailed one hand down her stomach, through her curls, until he found her engorged clit. He circled it with a finger and watched her with fevered eyes. Hermione threw back her head and increased her pace. Severus had never witnessed anything so beautiful as when her orgasm took her and she shattered.

"Ohhhh...yessss...Severussss!" 

Snape fought for control as her pleasure washed through him. When she collapsed onto his chest, he rolled them over without breaking their intimate contact. He buried his hands in her hair and feasted on her lips. His hips moved in a lazy, rolling motion, guiding his cock into, and out of, her heat in the same way. 

Hermione was drowning in sensation; her own and his. Severus' kisses were intoxicating and his cock was somehow still hard within her. She shifted her hips, urging him to move faster, but he fucked her languidly with long, slow strokes. Her passion stirred to life again, curling through her and into him. He abandoned her mouth and captured a nipple. He sucked one hard peak then moved to the other. 

"Please, Severus, please... " Hermione whimpered.

Severus smiled against her breast. He couldn't tell anymore what was her pleasure and what was his. When she was almost incoherent with passion, he reached between them and circled the hard nub of her clit with the tip of a finger as he continued to roll his hips leisurely. 

"Oh, you are driving me mad...Severus, please, please..." He increased the pace of his hips and his finger. Hermione came again with a wail and he felt it too; felt in his mind and his body, everything she was feeling. Severus was so close. He rose to his knees and stilled.

Hermione felt his desperation and observed him as he held himself back. His head was bowed, his black hair curtaining down and around her face. His eyes were closed and his teeth were bared. He was so enthralling, so extraordinary, so alluring. Tears burned in her eyes from the breathtaking intimacy of it all and she couldn't hold her feelings back any longer. Hermione's love overflowed, flooding through and around them. Severus' eyes snapped open. He stared at her in wonder for a moment—and then it was overwhelming him—her love for him was more than he could bear. Hermione closed her eyes and gathered her feelings; reining her raw emotion. He wasn't ready to accept everything she wanted to give. 

Hermione focused instead on the physical. The bliss Severus was feeling with his cock encased inside her body. His effort to wrestle his passion under control in order to please her once more. Her eyes found his. She watched his face as he began to move. While he slid nearly all the way out and then plunged back in, his eyes focused on hers. Again, he drew out slowly, then plunged in. And again. Achingly slowly, drawing out his pleasure, building hers. She wrapped her legs around him, and his hips moved faster as his fragile hold on his command slipped. 

"Oh, yes, Severussss...harder, faster, yesssss..."

The sensations in their bodies and minds shattered their restraint. Severus drove into her with abandon and her hips met his staccato thrusts hungrily, eagerly. Their passion coiled up and up and up. Hermione fractured into the most exquisite moment of bliss. With a last thrust, Severus came too, his cock pulsing within her until he collapsed, boneless, on top of her. He couldn't move, and he knew Hermione didn't mind. She didn't think he was too heavy, not yet.

The magic swirled around and through them and Hermione wrapped her arms and legs around Severus, holding him close. She luxuriated in the weight of his body on hers and loved him. They were so deeply connected, body, mind and soul; there was no possibility of duplicity. Hermione couldn't subdue her feelings any longer, and they flowed, warm and true, through him. 

_I love you, Severus..._ whispered in his mind. He sighed and sank into her love. Severus felt it wrap around him like a warm blanket on a cold day. He allowed himself to believe it was true. 

For just one night.

~~~


	9. Thursday (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape withdraws, Hermione coaxes him out again. Draco doubles down.

_It was mid-afternoon and Severus stood in a sun-speckled clearing, surrounded by trees that were arrayed in their multi-hued autumn attire. The canopy rose above, arching over the space like a leafy, wooden flying buttress. Golden sunbeams glided to the ground, and cast everything in their glorious light. The sound of moving water warbled in the background, as beautiful as any symphony._

_A movement drew his attention and his breath caught in his chest. Hermione walked toward him, radiant in a Renaissance style gown that reflected the sun's glow. An emerald green belt was caught in front just below her waist, and fell almost to the dress's hem. Its bell sleeves and neckline were trimmed in the same color. Beneath a crown of flowers, Hermione's hair tumbled in a wild cascade of curls across her shoulders and down her back. Her face was lit from within, and her smile joyous as she approached._

_When she reached his side, Severus took her hand in his and observed, upon seeing the sleeve, that his coat was not black, but deep forest green. He gazed into Hermione's brown eyes, which shone copper in the sun, cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss. He was interrupted by a loud clearing of a throat. He turned toward the sound and there was Minerva, wearing her tartan dress robes and holding several colorful cords in her hands. Severus held Hermione's hand as they turned to face her._

_"Welcome Friends, family and loved ones. We are here today to witness Severus and Hermione join hands and be bound together by their love, now and forever." She smiled at them and continued. "You are entering into that relationship which is the expression of the uniting, harmonizing power of divine love. Marriage is the uniting of two souls already attuned to each other. When there is a true bond such as this, it is proper that public acknowledgement of it be made. We are here to bear witness to your entering into this closer relationship of husband and wife, and we believe you are already one in spirit."_

_"Severus and Hermione, I bid you look into each other's eyes."_

_Severus turned to Hermione and gazed into her eyes._

_"Will you honor and respect one another, and seek to never break that honor?"_

_"We will." He and Hermione responded together._

_Minerva draped a pink cord over their hands. "And so the binding is made."_

_The Headmistress looked at them again. "Will you share each other’s pain and seek to ease it?"_

_"We will."_

_A Second cord, blue this time, was placed next to the first on their joined hands. "And so the binding is made."_

_"Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?"_

_"We will."_

_The next cord was black. "And so the binding is made."_

_"Will you share each other’s laughter, and look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?"_

_"We will."_

_The last cord was both red and green. "And so the binding is made." Minerva looped the cords around their wrists. Then she gathered the ends of the cords and wove them, in the shape of the infinity symbol, three times around their joined hands before tying a knot on top. After she finished, Minerva looked at them once again._

_"Hermione and Severus, as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you is the sun and below you is the earth. Like the sun, your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow." She placed her hands on their bound ones. "Hermione and Severus, these cords symbolize so much. It is your life, your love, and the eternal connection that the two of you have found with one another. Yet the knots of this binding are not formed by these cords- but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the chords, for as always, you hold in your own hands the making or breaking of this union."_

_Minerva smiled at Severus. "You may kiss your bride."_

_He turned and placed his free hand on Hermione's cheek, drew her close and kissed her mouth..._

Severus' eyes snapped open. Above him was the familiar dungeon ceiling. Disappointment engulfed him.

Damn it. It had seemed so real. 

Hermione rolled over, flung an arm around him, and snuggled closer. "I told you it was real," she murmured. Severus looked down to reply and noticed that she was still asleep. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and laid his head back on his pillow with a sad sigh. Another shared dream—must have been hers, because even his unconscious wouldn't let him imagine them Handfasted. 

He closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath. Would it really be so terrible to leave things as they are? The accidental bonding between them was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Hermione didn't want to give it up and neither did he. 

But his mind returned, like a tongue over a sore tooth, to the same ground again.

_It's just the magic talking. Feelings like this don't happen so fast. Especially if you're involved._

Severus tightened his arm around the sleeping witch. If they didn't take the antidote, he would always wonder if their feelings were true—and that was not fair to either of them. The only way to be sure was to risk it all. 

He silently Accioed a bottle of Dreamless Sleep. He downed it, and thus banished the ill-advised dream to the ether.

~~~***~~~

The chime of the mantel clock woke Severus with a start. Seven o'clock. He turned to wake Hermione only to find the only thing left of her in the bed was her scent. He spotted a piece of parchment on the side table and silently Accioed it.

_Severus,_  
_I'm sorry to sneak off while you're sleeping, but I just couldn't face you after that dream last night...I presume you saw it all? That dream is my heart's desire. I never meant for you to see it, I know you're not ready for all that yet. I hope it didn't upset you too much._  
_I have a free period today after lunch—and I know that you do as well. I will come back through the Floo then and talk to you face to face—like the brave Gryffindor I'm supposed to be._  
_I'll see you then._  
_Your Hermione_

Severus felt cheated. Cheated out of spending the morning with her before breakfast. Cheated out of a kiss to start the day. Cheated...

"Mawkish, sentimental nonsense." He snarled as he flung himself out of the bed.

He made his way into the bathroom, leaned against the sink, and looked into the mirror. _Dreams don't come true. Not for me._

He could not find it in himself to hope for any future other than this...

Himself, utterly alone.

~~~***~~~

Hermione was finishing her tea and toast when Professor Snape entered the Great Hall from the door by the Head table. She watched him from behind her newspaper as he strode with a panther's grace to his usual chair beside the Headmistress. Affection and warmth spread through her as she continued to observe him. He was more attractive to her than ever now that she knew him better. He received his newspaper from the Prophet owl, prepared his tea, and then opened the paper and hid himself behind it. Her initial elation withered when she reached through the link and realized that his mind was completely closed to hers.

 _Damn it._ She chewed her bottom lip. _I should never have sneaked out this morning. It gave him too much time to think._

Tears burned hot in her eyes and she fought them back. It wouldn't do to break down in front of everyone; most especially Draco and his friends. With her own paper held in front of her like a shield, she closed her eyes, stopped Occluding, and attempted to reach out to him anyway. She took the risk of looking directly at him, and attempted one of the Legilimency techniques she'd practiced in secret—with no luck. Not that she'd expected to have any. His mind was locked up so tight, she doubted if even Dumbledore could get in. Hermione focused her mind and her feelings, and then sent a plea, as swift as an arrow through their link, and hoped he would hear her.

 _Severus, I swear to you; I'm not going to leave you. Please don't push me away. I'll see you after lunch._

She watched him for a few more minutes before she sighed, folded her paper, rose from the table and made her way to her first class.

~~~***~~~

At the Slytherin table, Draco was seated between Pansy and Iris. He had finished eating, and he twirled his wand through his fingers as he scowled at the room. He had overslept this morning, so had not had an opportunity to play with his girls before breakfast. Well, they had a free period after lunch...a smirk spread itself across his face. The middle of the day would do just as well. He glanced from one witch to the other. For now, though, a bit of fun was in order. He caught his wand and twitched it toward Pansy. _Volvebatur,_ he thought. Then he pointed it in Iris' direction and performed the same silent spell. He put one hand into his robes and rubbed his cock. Then he settled back to watch.

Iris felt a stirring of desire and then a soft vibration against her clit. She glanced at Draco, saw the expression on his face, and knew that he was responsible. She met Pansy's eyes for a moment before the other girl cast hers down and bit her bottom lip. So, he had done it to both of them. Iris looked down at her plate and pressed her thighs together. The vibration was slow and steady. Her nipples grew hard and warm wetness bloomed between her legs. She started when Draco wrapped a casual arm around her waist and pulled her close; doing the same to Pansy. 

"You will both meet me in my room after lunch," he ordered. "Do you like the new spell I found? I wonder if I should leave it until we see each other again..."

Iris knew better than to offer an opinion. It wouldn't be heeded anyway, and if she tried to influence him, he would punish her in some way. Thankfully, Pansy didn't either.

" _Finite_ ," he murmured and the sensation stopped. "I want you eager, not exhausted." He released them and with a jerk of his chin to Goyle, rose and left the room.

Pansy scooted over and murmured. "That prick."

Iris took her hand under the table and squeezed. "Hopefully, it'll be over soon. Professor Snape said he was working on an antidote."

"I wish he would finish it. I can't wait until I can refuse to do Draco's bidding."

"Me too."

~~~***~~~

After his shower that morning, Severus had checked on the new potion before he'd left the dungeon. It seemed to be ready, based on the recipe he'd created. He decanted it into a flask, corked it, and then placed it under a stasis charm alongside the other potions. He was ready to move to the testing phase. Later, he would transfigure a few things into mice and begin. Before he gave it to any humans, he wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any harmful side effects. Then he would test it on himself.

 _I have to break the binding spell soon_ , he thought as he made his way to the Great Hall. _For the sake of my sanity._

Once he had seated himself at the Head table and opened the paper, Severus became aware of Hermione's attempt to reach him. He refused to stop Occluding. His mind and emotions were a cataclysm of turmoil. The only way to protect himself was to withdraw behind his mental fortress. Snape had tried to "remain open to the possibilities", but it was all too much and he was afraid that if he continued to do so, he would go mad. 

He was halfway there already. 

And then, to his utter astonishment, he heard Hermione's voice, whisper soft, in his mind.

_Severus, I swear to you; I'm not going to leave you. Please don't push me away. I'll see you after lunch._

Snape twitched the paper aside and watched her leave the Hall. Her mind was getting stronger every day. Even without a practical lesson, she was learning how to Occlude on her own and was doing a fair job of it. He was impressed. _She's the perfect witch for me,_ came the unbidden thought. He crushed it ruthlessly. 

"Severus?" The Headmistress snapped him back to the present. 

"Yes, Minerva?"

"Please meet Mr. Malfoy at the Apparition point outside the castle gates and escort him to my office at 11:30 tonight." She pitched her voice for his ears alone. "We will be casting _Circumscriptio Tutus Finis_. Have our fourth come directly to my office at eleven." When he raised a questioning eyebrow she continued: "It makes more sense to have you arrive separately--if you take my meaning?"

"Agreed. I'll pass along the message and will meet you later."

~~~***~~~

In the Great Hall at lunch, both Iris and Pansy were too nervous to eat. They finally gave it up as a bad job and made their way to Draco's room. On their way to his door, Iris felt the binding spell activate and glanced at Pansy, who nodded miserably. Iris pulled her into a hug.

"Hang in there, Pans."

She opened the door and they went inside. The door closed and locked behind them. They came thru the short corridor and around the corner. Iris stopped so suddenly that Pansy nearly bowled her over. She groped behind her for the other witch's hand and held it tight.

In the room, in various stages of undress, were Draco, Goyle, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. 

Draco's smile was wicked. "Now we can get started." He pointed his wand at the witches. " _Silencio._ "

~~~***~~~

Hermione came through the Floo and found Severus sitting in a chair in front of the fire. She started toward him, then stopped when he put up a hand.

"Severus? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just...please don't come too close right now. I have class in an hour and I can't..." He closed his eyes and inhaled. "I just can't."

"Oh, Severus..." She did as he asked and seated herself on the other chair. "I'm so sorry that I left you that way this morning. My dream...you saw?"

He nodded.

"I knew you'd be upset. You do understand that it was my subconscious at work?"

He nodded again.

"And you still refuse to believe that my feelings for you are true?" 

Severus dropped his gaze to his lap, which hid his face behind his hair. Hermione ached for him as she watched him wrestle with his thoughts. The situation they were in was, in many ways, more difficult for him. He hadn't experienced these feelings in years, not since Lily, and his love for that woman had not been reciprocated. 

Nothing in his life had prepared him for the onslaught of emotion he was being subjected to—both from Hermione and for her. Snape was out of his depth and his first instinct was to withdraw and protect himself. 

"You have no idea how much I want to believe it," he said, his voice low and anguished. "But how can I? We are both under the influence of an illegal, dark potion. For all we know, what we think we feel is part of the effect of that potion. If I allow myself to believe...that any of this could continue...and then it disappears..." He met her gaze once more and his eyes were haunted. "Hermione—I do not believe that I would survive it."

Hermione did nothing to stop the tears that overflowed and streamed down her cheeks. "I care so much, Severus, that sometimes I think I'll burst from all the emotion inside of me. I know you don't trust it. I understand that. I wish..." She choked back a sob, then continued fiercely. "...I wish the bloody antidote was ready because I would drink it right now and prove it to you." She buried her face in her hands. "I know you don't want to hear that...I know you find it hard to accept—I know you believe that it's happened too fast—and-and I'm sor-sorry, but-but I _know_ that what's inside of me is r-real. I-I just lo-love you so damned much."

Hermione's distress triggered the spell, and Severus could not continue to remain aloof from her. He shook back his hair, stood and plucked her from the chair. He sat down again, wrapped his arms around her and laid his cheek on top of her head. She buried her face against his chest and wept. In the eyes of the world, she was an adult, but in many ways she was still so young. In her short life she had already been through so much—and now this. It was unimaginable to Snape that another human being cared so much about him. And yet—Hermione did. Her mind was completely open to him and there was no duplicity there. Snape tightened his arms and rocked her until her sobs turned to hiccoughs and then quieted to an occasional snuffle. He Accioed a handkerchief and handed it to her. 

"I'm sorry." Her voice was plaintive as she wiped her face. "I know this histrionic onslaught triggered the magic...I know it makes things more difficult for you...honestly, that's not what I intended..."

"Shh, Hermione." Severus tightened his hold on her. "I know it isn't. And I hope you know that I don't mean to hurt you." He leaned back, cupped her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her red-rimmed eyes. "Please believe me when I say that I do care about you, Hermione. I do." He kissed her mouth gently, then smoothed her hair away from her tear-stained face. "But I will continue to qualify my feelings until we are out from under the influence of the spell." He saw the misery in her eyes and it flayed his soul to know he had put it there, but it wouldn't be fair to her to equivocate. "It's self-preservation, Hermione. The truth is... I'm afraid..."

"Afraid...? Of...?"

Severus looked away. He closed his eyes and gathered his courage. He'd rather face a round of Crucio than talk about his fear, but Hermione deserved an explanation. His throat was suddenly dry, so his voice was hoarse when he answered. "The truth is...my biggest fear is...is that... once the spell is broken... you'll realize what you've done... what you've done with me... and-and you'll be revolted by it... and you'll...I'll be alone again." There. He'd said it.

"Oh, Severus..." She laid her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "Even before the potion, I was intrigued by you. Don't you recall what I said to you Saturday night—before we went to the Headmistress? Let me remind you. I said that I suspected that you were working for the Order all along, and that I defended you to everyone, including Harry and Ron. I told you that I had admired you for ages and the only reason I never considered any sort of 'possibilities' with you is because I didn't think I stood a chance. Because I knew you'd never look at me that way since I was your student. Somewhere in there I told you that I liked you for your brain." She lifted up and kissed his jaw. "Which I adore even more than your gorgeous body. In short...nothing we've done has been 'revolting'. Far from it. You have made this entire situation...not just bearable but wonderful. You've been gentle, kind and," her tone became sultry and she kissed his neck. "Extremely satisfying."

Yes, Severus thought. She had said all of those things. Why hadn't he remembered? It had to be that damned potion. Because of its influence, he had allowed his self-doubt to run rampant in his usually rational mind. He turned and looked into her eyes. Her mind was still open to him and he saw her memory of that conversation—along with other memories of their time together during the last week. Snape was astounded. This young witch actually enjoyed being with him—not just in bed, although she liked that very much—she had relished brewing with him (and wanted to do it again) and even enjoyed just being in the same room with him doing her homework. He withdrew from her mind. She gazed at him and her eyes were warm. He brushed her lips with his. "Trying to appeal to my male ego, minx?" He quipped to lighten the mood.

"As if that would work with you," she replied in the same vein. "No, I'm just telling the truth as I have... experienced ...it." 

Severus felt something inside of him shift and he heaved a sigh. 

Hermione relaxed. "Feel better?" 

He nodded. "You?"

"Yes. Let's not do that again, okay? If I'm feeling anxious, I will talk to you instead of running away. And you," she nuzzled his nose with hers. "I was going to say 'trust me' but that's not possible right now because of this spell." She became serious and looked into his eyes. "Instead, I'll just ask you to reach out to me through our link the next time you find yourself in a downward spiral of self-doubt." She kissed him gently then pulled back and smiled. "We're stuck with each other. Probably forever—oh, don't scowl. I acknowledge your doubts about our future. For now, can we try to stay on an even keel?"

Severus sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "It seems so easy when you're here with me, Hermione. But when we're apart—my thoughts—plague me."

"That's when I want you reach out through our mental connection."

"I don't want to trigger the spell."

"I trust you." She looked into his eyes. "Do you trust yourself? Why don't you try it now? That way, if anything goes wrong—" She smirked at him. "We have the time and privacy to do something about it."

"Behave, minx," he growled. "For this to be a decent test, I should go into my office and try from there." 

Hermione kissed his cheek then slid off of his lap. Severus rose, went through the door and closed it behind him. He went all the way into the classroom and shut that door too. Then he closed his eyes and focused his mind. Severus concentrated on approaching Hermione's mind along the narrowest of paths. When he touched it, he found that she was Occluding to the best of her ability. But when she felt his touch, she opened herself to it. 

_I knew you could do it._

_Yes, but what are you feeling right now, my little know-it-all?_

_There's a slight compulsion, but nothing I can't resist. It's the normal feeling of attraction I have for you._

_Stop it, you'll trigger the compulsion in me and I have class in fifteen minutes. And so do you._ He withdrew and walked back into the sitting room where he found her grinning on the chair. 

"It worked!" She jumped up, threw her arms around his neck and snogged him. 

Severus responded enthusiastically, then gentled the kiss and pulled away. He glared at her without heat. "I told you I have class. Will you come through after curfew?"

"Yes. I'll have to bring my homework again."

"I quite liked that last night too, you know. It was lovely having you here while I graded papers."

Hermione smiled. "It was nice." She chewed her bottom lip and looked up at him. "Would you mind if I brought Crookshanks? He misses me—and I miss him too."

"Please do. I want to meet him. Hermione," Severus said. "There's one more thing I must ask you before we part. There is a spell that the Head can use that prevents a person from leaving the castle grounds. In order to cover the entire grounds in one night's casting, it will require four people to do it. Minerva asked if we would help her. I presume you are willing?" At her nod he said, "you are to meet her in her office at eleven o'clock--I join you shortly after 11:30. Tomorrow she will meet with Draco, myself and his father and the second part of the spell will be cast onto Draco himself, if he agrees."

"What if he doesn't agree?"

"In that case, he'll be turned over to MLE—and face the consequences of his actions. Since we have adequately convinced everyone here that the binding aspect didn't work on us, a trial, while embarrassing, wouldn't be disastrous for either of our futures. And the bonus of the possible antidote will protect Miss Parkinson and Miss Ichabod, as well." He grimaced. "I believe that Draco will agree. He has no desire to go to Azkaban." 

Hermione hugged him. "Of course I'll help. Who's the fourth?"

"Lucius Malfoy." 

"Lucius Malfoy will be here?" She chewed her bottom lip. "Severus..."

He leaned a hip against the chair and crossed his arms. "Hermione, he has changed. Didn't Potter tell you? Even before the War ended, he'd changed. He was humiliated in a terrible way by the Dark Lord. He took Malfoy's wand from him in front of everyone. His wand, Hermione." Severus didn't miss the way her hand twitched toward hers. "After the war, Lucius was tried for his crimes, fined, and served time in Azkaban. He lost his wife to divorce. And now his son is mentally unstable." His black eyes held hers. "He has been humbled and, in my opinion, has more than paid his debt to society. Most importantly—he is my friend. As a favor to me, will you give him the opportunity to prove to you that he has changed?"

She chewed her bottom lip. "I trust you, Severus. So, yes, for you, I'll give Mr. Malfoy that chance."

"Thank you," he said. The bell rang, signaling the change of classes. Severus gathered Hermione into his arms and kissed her. "Until tonight."

~~~***~~~

Finally--they had finished.

Iris was face-down on the bed. Her body ached all over. Draco and his friends had spent the last hour taking turns with her and Pansy, two at a time. She was sore, bruised and covered with semen. She tried to cast a silent healing charm but couldn't muster the energy it required.

"Thanks, Malfoy." Iris heard Nott say. "That was brilliant."

"Yeah," Zabini agreed. "Appreciate the invite. Anytime you fancy another gangbang, just let me know."

"Goyle?" Malfoy's voice.

There were shuffling steps, then as one, Malfoy and Goyle said, " _Obliviate!_ "

Then the door opened and closed. "Can't have them blabbing or Snape might find out."

Footsteps came closer and Iris' head was yanked back off the bed by her hair. She opened her eyes and focused on Draco's cold grey ones. 

"Afternoon class starts soon. Take Pansy and get out of here. Get cleaned up. You'd better be in Potions class later." He released her hair.

Iris shoved her aching body to her knees and wavered a bit. She looked at Draco, who stood nearby, not bothering to hide his impatience to be gone. She indicated her throat and raised her eyebrows. 

" _Finite_." He muttered.

Iris dropped her gaze to Pansy, who was curled into a ball on the bed, weeping quietly. Iris Summoned her wand, cast a cleansing spell and then with a wave, got them clothed again. She bent and murmured, "Come on, Pans", then helped her stand. With the other witch leaning heavily on her, Iris left the chamber of horrors that was Draco's room. 

Iris made her way to her room, got inside and then locked and warded the door. She wrapped her arms around the other witch, buried her face in her shoulder and wept. Her body started to shake, a delayed reaction to what had happened. They had both been brutally used by Malfoy and all of his friends. She had so much come in her hair; she wasn't sure if it would ever be clean again. Pansy held her and made soothing sounds as she rubbed her back. 

Iris pulled herself together, lifted her head and looked into Pansy's compassionate eyes. "Thanks, Pans. I don't know about you, but I'm skiving off Herbology."

"Merlin, yes. I want a bath." 

She banished their clothing and they went into the bathroom. Iris shooed Pansy into the tub, turned on the taps, added some bath soap, then climbed in behind her. When the hot, sudsy water had risen to her waist, Iris turned it off with a wave. 

Iris soaped a flannel and smoothed it over Pansy's shoulders and back. She rinsed it and continued to bathe the dark-haired witch until she was clean. Pansy took the flannel from her and switched places in the tub so that she could do the same for her. Iris closed her eyes and gradually, she started to feel better. Pansy pulled the plug on the tub and turned on the shower. The water was hot, nearly scalding, but neither woman cared. They scrubbed their hair and stood under the spray, in a vain attempt to sluice away their degradation. 

It didn't help.

Iris turned the water off and Summoned some towels. She handed two to Pansy and kept two for herself. Pansy wrapped one, turban-like, around her hair and the other around her body and Iris did the same. Patsy made her way back to the room and sat on the bed. Before she followed, Iris opened the cabinet and grabbed a potion and the jar of ointment that Snape had given to them. She went into the other room and sat next to Pansy. She uncorked the potion and drank half, then gave the rest to her friend. After the potion was gone, she looked into the other witch's eyes.

"I can't do this anymore, Pans. It was bad enough with just Draco and Goyle...but today," she shuddered. "Was not anything I want to experience again." She uncapped the ointment, scooped some out onto her fingers and started to rub it onto the bruises that had bloomed on Pansy's pale skin. "I'm going to see Snape again. If something isn't done to stop Draco—I'll either go mad or I'll kill him."

Pansy looked into Iris' eyes. "I'm coming with you. We'll go early to Potions and talk to him then."

~~~***~~~

The bell rang and the sixth year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class gathered their things, turned in their homework, and then shuffled out of the room. When the door didn't close after the last student, Snape looked up and found Miss Ichabod and Miss Parkinson entering the classroom.

Damn and blast. Something must have happened. He rose from his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. 

"Professor Snape," Iris said when she reached the front of his desk. "Today Draco—he, he—" The blond witch covered her face, bend at the waist and sobbed. 

Snape conjured a chair. Parkinson guided her friend into it, and then met his gaze. "Sir. Draco invited a few friends over this afternoon. We were the entertainment—if you take my meaning?" She pressed her lips together and held back her tears. "You have to help us. He's getting worse. Please." Her voice cracked on the plea.

Merlin's balls. Snape silently Accioed a bottle, caught it, and then moved around his desk to crouch next to the distraught witch in the chair. "Here, Miss Ichabod, drink this. It's a Calming draught." She took it, uncorked it, and then drank it down. 

She calmed almost instantly and handed the bottle back to him. "Thank you, Professor," she murmured. She raised her watery blue eyes to meet his. "Have you figured out an antidote yet, Sir?" 

Both witches waited for his response. He sighed. "I have created a potion that has possibilities..." he held up his hand when they seemed about to squeal, "...but it isn't ready for human consumption yet."

"Professor, I volunteer to test it."

"Me too!"

Snape stood, moved over to his desk and leaned a hip against it. "I can't give it to you yet. I'm not sure what will happen when it's consumed. It must be tested in the lab first." He heard the door open and his wand was in his hand with a flick of his wrist. He scowled when he saw Hermione standing there. "Early as usual, Miss Granger. Come in, close the door, and cast a locking charm." 

"Yes, Professor." She did as he'd asked then hurried over and stood in front of the other witches. "Did that little prick hurt you two again?"

"Language, Miss Granger," Snape said without heat. "He did."

She turned and looked into his eyes. "Can't something be done?" _What about the possible antidote?_

"I will speak to the Headmistress, however, because of the binding spell," he spread his hands. "Short of keeping Draco unconscious, I'm not sure there's much we can do." _The antidote hasn't been tested yet. I won't give it to a human until it is._

Parkinson chewed her lip. "Professor, when will the testing be finished?"

"When I am certain it will do what it's designed to with a minimum of side effects." He scowled. "In the meantime, and this information does not leave this room." He looked at them one by one. "The Headmistress has asked Draco's father to come here for a meeting. Draco will be there."

"He's not afraid of his father anymore," Parkinson muttered.

Snape glared at her. "He's afraid of me. And he will be even more afraid after our meeting tomorrow, you can count on it. I will figure out some way to keep you two safe until the antidote is ready." He held up his wand and gripped it. "I give you my vow as a wizard."

"I hope you can, Professor." Iris said. "Because, I cannot answer for my actions if he tries anything else with me." She looked into his eyes, and Snape took the opportunity to peek into her mind. What he saw made him so angry he withdrew before she felt his wrath. 

"Miss Ichabod," he growled. "If that happens, I will stand before the Wizengamot with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed from two different Handfasting ceremonies I found online:  
> http://www.forthisjoyousoccasion.com/ceremony-with-wiccanpagan-handfasting.html  
> http://www.vowsoftheheart.com/ceramonies/handfasting-wedding-ceremony/
> 
> If you're curious about the Cord colors I chose:  
> Pink= Unity, Truth, Romance  
> Black= Strength, wisdom  
> Blue=Patience, devotion  
> Red=Passion, Strength  
> Green= Fertility, health, prosperity
> 
> Reviews are love!


	10. Thursday (part two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione has a heart to heart with Minerva. Lucius Malfoy arrives to help cast the Circumscriptio Tutus Finis spell around the castle. Severus loses his connection to Hermione.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been six months since my last update of this story. I'm sorry! #depressionsucks 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who posted asking for the next chapter--you helped more than you know. I hope you like it. I will try not to make you wait another six months for the next.

That night, when Hermione came through the Floo with Crookshanks, the sitting room was empty. 

The half-Kneazle jumped out of her arms, put his nose to work and wandered away to explore. He'd never been permitted in here before, in spite of the many times he'd tried. He wasn't about to waste his opportunity. 

"Crooks." 

"Mrrow?"

"Don't disturb anything, please." Hermione warned. 

He looked over his shoulder at her and she swore his expression was one of offended innocence. Then he twitched his tail at her and disappeared behind the sofa to continue his exploration. 

Hermione set her book bag on the table. She figured that Severus was probably in his lab, especially after what they'd heard this afternoon from Iris and Pansy.

 _I am so lucky._ If Severus hadn't arrived when he did on Saturday, she might have been in Draco's room with them today. She shuddered and shook those thoughts from her head as she made her way through Snape's office. When she reached the doorway to the lab, she leaned against it with a smile.

Just as she'd suspected, he was seated on a stool next to a table, his back to her. He was not wearing his robes or coat. From the way his shirt stretched across his shoulders, it was obvious that his arms were crossed as he focused on whatever was in front of him. His hair fell past his shoulders and she admired the line of his back all the way down to his arse. 

_Oh yes. Very lucky, indeed._

"If you've quite finished ogling me, come have a look."

"I wasn't exactly _ogling_." She explained as she joined him at the table and nudged him with her shoulder. "I was observing."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Um, hm." 

She grinned up at him, unrepentant. "How's the testing going?"

"Take a look," he said. "I dosed these mice with a drop of Draco's potion earlier. Then I gave them different amounts of the new potion. I'm trying to find the relative dosage percentage as well as make sure it works."

Hermione perched on the stool next to him. "How long since you gave them the new potion?"

"About an hour."

She gazed into the cages. Some of the mice were sleeping, some were mating and some were huddled close together. As she watched, Hermione came to a few conclusions. She pointed at the cage with the mating mice.

"Those got the lowest dose of the new potion," she said. "These got the next lowest and these got the highest." She looked up at Severus. "Am I correct?"

He nodded. "Yes." 

"It looks like your potion works."

"Perhaps." 

Hermione gathered her courage. In spite of what she'd told him this afternoon, she wasn't in any hurry to take the antidote and lose her connection to him. Yet, if she didn't, Severus would never believe that their feelings were true. She swallowed. 

"When will it be ready to test on a human?"

"If no side effects manifest themselves in these mice overnight—I'll test it tomorrow." He turned and looked into her eyes and she saw determination and resignation in his. "On myself."

Hermione slid off of the stool and stood in front of Severus; between his legs. She put her arms around his neck, buried her hands in his hair, brought his head down and kissed him. He embraced her as he responded in kind. He slid a hand up her back and the other down to her waist. She nibbled on his bottom lip. 

"I want to be here too. I want to take it at the same time."

Severus pulled his head back and looked into her eyes again. "Hermione...I don't think..."

"If you feel it is safe enough to drink it yourself, then it is safe enough for me too, Severus." Her voice was determined. "We must take it together. We are both too anxious about the outcome to do it any other way. Please."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She slid hers around his waist and laid her head against his chest with a sigh. He rested his cheek on top of her head and closed his eyes. They remained that way for several minutes, each submersed in their own thoughts—thoughts that were remarkably similar. 

_What will life be like without the binding?_

"Mrrow?"

Severus loosened his grip and she pulled away enough to look at Crookshanks who was sitting on the floor next to them with his bottle-brush tail curled around his front feet and his head cocked to the side. 

"Hullo, Crooks. This is Severus, you may have seen him around the castle during your travels."

"Mrrow."

"Severus," Hermione continued. "This is Crookshanks. He's a half-Kneazle and one of my very dearest friends."

Snape looked down at Crookshanks. "Pleased to meet you," he said gravely. "Thank you for sharing Hermione with me." _For the moment..._ "Shall we move to the sitting room? I have papers to grade and your mistress has homework to complete before we meet with Minerva."

"Mrrow."

~~~***~~~

At five minutes to eleven, Hermione rode the staircase up to Minerva's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The door opened to reveal the Headmistress standing behind her desk. "Hermione, my dear, please come through. I have tea ready."

She followed Minerva into her sitting room, and settled onto the same settee that she and Severus had used when they broke the news of their magical binding to her only five days before. So much had happened in such a short time it was almost unbelievable. And things could change again as soon as tomorrow. Hermione chewed her bottom lip. She was confident that her feelings for Severus were true, but she was reluctant to lose the empathic connection they shared. Minerva floated a cup of tea over to her, which interrupted her thoughts. She took it and sipped gratefully. 

"I haven't had a chance to see you since Saturday, Hermione. Severus tells me you two are coping better since the Floo was opened between your chambers and his?"

"Yes, much better. Simply knowing that we will be able to be together in the same room eases the compulsion." She accepted a biscuit with a murmur of thanks and nibbled it.

"Excellent. Hermione..." Minerva paused, her expression uncomfortable. "Is Severus alright? When I see him at mealtimes, he seems—on edge. I don't want to pry—and I know that I am—but he has been through so much already. I'm worried about him."

Hermione sighed and placed her cup in the saucer. "That is a difficult question to answer, Headmistress. When we are together he is a different person than he is around everyone else. I know he's happier--or maybe more content would be a better description. For example, earlier tonight I brought my homework to his room and worked on it while he graded papers. We did the same last night too. We sit in front of the fire and work. It's lovely." She felt herself redden. "You know I've been sleeping there."

Minerva nodded.

"That part has been wonderful. He is so considerate, and so...splendid." She blushed.

"Yes, well, I'm not asking for details, my dear."

Hermione smiled. "I know. But I had to say that, in order to tell you this: I am in love with him. And I think he feels the same about me..."

A grin spread across Minerva's face.

"...but he refuses to accept that my feelings for him are true or to admit to his own."

Minerva's grin turned into a scowl. "Why is that?"

Hermione sighed. "Because he's afraid. He's afraid that once the spell we're under is broken, that I will suddenly 'wake up'. He thinks that once I'm 'awake', then I'll be disgusted by the things we've done and leave him." Tears pooled in her eyes. "He's been in my mind and I've been in his. I don't know what else I can do to convince him that what we are experiencing is authentic and not caused by that blasted potion." She sniffed and pulled Severus' handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe her nose. "I don't want to lose the connection we have now—unfortunately, it's the only way to prove to him that what's between us is real."

"I understand your feelings, Hermione. I do. However, I have to agree with Severus. Breaking the hold of the binding spell is in the best interest of both of you. It truly is. If what you say is true, it won't matter in the end. Because your feelings will still be there, and so will his." She became thoughtful. "Severus has had no real experience with softer emotions, as I'm sure you now understand. He was abused, rather than nurtured, as a child. He loved Lily, or he thought he did, but his feelings for her were not reciprocated—as you are aware. And in the years since her death, in all the time I've known him in fact, I have never seen him become seriously involved with any woman. I'm not surprised that he is apprehensive—he is completely out of his depth."

"I know it. I've seen the doubt in his mind. Severus literally cannot believe that what's happened between us isn't a result of the magical spell. For such a remarkable wizard, his self-esteem is practically non-existent." Hermione smiled ruefully. "But, I have to disagree with you both. The binding spell is purely physical. Draco, Iris and Pansy have no emotional connection at all. The story you told about your friend who was bound against her will—she never developed feelings for her partner either. _That's how I know our feelings are true._ " She looked into her teacup. "Sure, it's happened extraordinarily fast. I believe that is due to the empathic connection between us. When we—" She blushed. "When we have intercourse, our minds join. Even Severus' great skill as an Occlumens cannot shield his mind from me when that happens. Nor can I hide my feelings from him. I think that's why our emotions became involved so quickly and so utterly." Hermione sighed. "When we're together it's easy for him to believe we have a future. It's when we're apart that the darkest parts of his mind, the ones that were beaten down over all these years, take over and doubts plague him."

Minerva's eyes widened. "I see." She frowned. "What I don't understand is how that empathic connection manifested itself between you."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, either. I only know that I don't want to lose it." She looked into the Headmistress's eyes. "But, I'm willing to risk losing that connection if it's the only way to prove that our feelings are true."

"Since the binding is purely physical, as you've said, perhaps you won't lose the mental connection once it's broken."

"I hope that's the case. Severus has created a potion that has possibilities as an antidote. He's tested it on some mice today, and if there are no side effects overnight, we will take it tomorrow." Hermione met Minerva's compassionate gaze. "Together. I won't allow him do it alone. One way or the other—I will prove the truth to him."

~~~***~~~

Severus waited for Lucius at the Apparition point outside the castle gates. It was getting colder. He was dressed in his usual wool trousers, coat, and his teaching robes; and he had cast a warming charm. His mind was not on the weather.

Hermione had told him she loved him again when she came to see him after lunch. The difference was that this time, he believed her. Not only had the declaration come before the spell had been triggered, her mind had been completely open to his. There had not been any deception there. And the fact that she had insisted on meeting with him and working out a solution to both his insecurity and hers, was even more proof. If she was motivated only by the spell, she wouldn't care enough to do so. Not only that, Hermione didn't want to break their binding, unlike the two Slytherin witches who were desperate to get out from under the influence of the same potion. 

It was extraordinary. Whenever he thought about it, his chest felt tight, as if his heart no longer fit. He shook himself at that thought. Merlin, he was behaving like a moonstruck adolescent.

The sound of Apparition interrupted his musing. Lucius appeared in front of him and his friend's face was haggard from lack of sleep. The blond wizard straightened his robes, more out of habit than necessity, as he approached. 

"Severus." He nodded.

"Lucius." Snape turned and Malfoy fell in beside him as they made their way to the gates, which opened automatically and then closed with a clang after they had passed through. 

"Draco owled me about the detention." 

"I presume he asked you to get him out of it." 

"He did. I don't intend to, however." Lucius glanced at Snape. "How is my son?"

"Worse." 

Lucius winced. "Damn. Any progress on an antidote?"

"I've come up with something that has some promise. It's in the testing phase right now." Snape stopped just outside the castle door and turned to face the other wizard. "If the potion isn't viable, I may have to use Veritaserum on Draco in order to obtain the recipe he used to combine those two potions together."

"Severus, isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Your son has escalated his activities," Snape said, his eyes hard. "He invited a few of his friends to his room earlier today. Miss Parkinson and Miss Ichabod were raped multiple times. I will not allow anything else to happen to those witches, Lucius. No matter what it takes. If we have to dose your son with the Draught of Living Death, we will."

Lucius blanched. "Fuck it all, Severus!" His expression was bleak and his voice barely above a whisper. "What has happened to my son?"

"The Dark Lord and your mad ex-sister-in-law," Snape replied coldly. "Lucius, I will not allow him to assault them again." He repeated. 

"Quite right, Severus. Quite right. Aside from the spell we are doing tonight and hopefully completing tomorrow—what else can be done until an antidote is found?"

"I am out of ideas, which is why I mentioned the Draught." He turned and led Lucius into the castle and up the stairs. "Unfortunately, as long as those witches are under the influence of that spell, even if we isolate Draco, he can summon them to him at any time."

Lucius followed quietly for a couple of floors before he spoke again. "I am going to ask Minerva to allow me to stay here at the castle for the next few days. In fact, I'll stay with my son. That might put a bit of a damper on things, wouldn't you say?"

"Perhaps. I don't know if you'll be able to stay past the weekend, however. The Ministry is sending a group of bureaucrats and the press here next week in order to publicise the progress that has been made on the repair of the castle. An extraordinary waste of time and resources, if you ask me." 

"I don't think staying longer will be a problem." Lucius said drily. "As I am among those bureaucrats who will be coming. As a liaison to the Department of International Magic Cooperation. I've been given the 'honor'," the emphasis Malfoy put on that word implied it was the exact opposite. "Of helping to organize the next Quidditch World Cup." 

" _You?_ " Snape said with considerable disbelief. 

Malfoy smirked. "Your reaction would be insulting if you weren't quite right. It really isn't my specialty at all. Honestly, I think they just did it so they could keep an eye on me." 

"Very likely." Snape agreed. "But, shouldn’t the Cup have been in 1998?"

"Yes. And if you listen to the other wizards on the committee, it was postponed due to a very inconvenient War. Then they put their collective heads together and decided it would be best to start it up again in 2000. A new World Cup for a New Century or some such twaddle. I stopped listening during the meeting, I'm afraid."

Snape snorted and they finished their journey through the castle in silence. When they arrived at the gargoyle, Snape gave the password and they rode the stairway to the top. He knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The door swung open and they entered Minerva's office. She was behind her desk and Hermione, back in her school robes again he noticed, was seated in a chair in front of it. They both got to their feet.

"Headmistress, Miss Granger," Snape greeted them. 

Lucius' eyebrows rose when he saw Hermione and he looked at Minerva with a silent question. 

"Mr. Malfoy, we needed a fourth to cast the spell tonight and, since Miss Granger already has knowledge of Draco's activities, I've asked her to assist us," she informed him. "I'm sure you would like to keep this as quiet as possible, and so do we. We decided not to bring someone else into our confidence."

"Quite right," Malfoy murmured. "Miss Granger," he said, executing a half-bow her way. "First, I must apologize for your treatment at my home during the War." His mouth twisted into a wry smile. "And now, it appears I must apologize for your treatment by my son, as well."

Hermione rose and held out her hand. "Neither of which was your fault, Mr. Malfoy. Shall we begin anew?"

Lucius took her hand and, rather than shake it as Hermione had intended, brought it to his lips. "That would be delightful." 

Severus felt the flame of jealousy ignite inside of him and tamped it down savagely. He heard the tinkle of Hermione's laughter in his mind. 

_Oh, Severus, you're so good for my ego._

She claimed her hand back from Malfoy and turned to face him. "Good evening, Professor Snape," she said. He saw the sparkle of mirth in her eyes. He nodded at her.

"Miss Granger." _Behave, minx, or I'll put you over my knee and spank you._

 _Would you? I've read a few romance novels on the subject that piqued my curiosity._ Her mind conjured an image of herself clad in her school uniform, laying across his lap. He was in his teaching robes. Her skirt was raised, and her knickers were bunched below her bum. 

Severus had never been more grateful for his robes. If she left him once the binding was broken, he had wank material for life. _Your curiosity may be satisfied on that subject sooner than you think._ He growled back, much to her amusement.

Fortunately, Minerva interrupted and he banished the image to the back of his mind.

"Now that we're together," she said. "I will go over the spell and the wand movements with you all. Then we will go to the Astronomy tower and cast it."

~~~***~~~

Hermione was exhausted. _Circumscriptio Tutus Finis_ was not complex, but Hogwarts and its grounds were massive, so the casting was taking a long time. She had never used so much of her magical energy before. But, every time she thought about quitting, she remembered the stripes on Iris' back. And she reached down and found reserves she never realized where there.

They had been at it for more than an hour now. The Headmistress advised them that once this part the spell was complete, they would see a faint glow of a circle on the grounds. With only four people, and one who had not yet come into her full power, Draco's boundary would only extend as far as the Quidditch pitch, would cover the Greenhouses on one side of the castle and about ten meters on the other. The cliffs behind Hogwarts were a natural boundary, the Headmistress had explained, so the magical one would end at the castle's back wall. 

Severus and Minerva took the side that included the Quidditch pitch, since that was the longest distance to be covered. Malfoy had the side with the Greenhouses. That left Hermione with the castle wall assignment. She knew the others figured that it would be the easiest bit to do, but she realized after the first half-hour that they didn't consider the distance from the buttresses of the castle down to the bottom of the lake, nor the opening for the boats that cut through the cliffs. 

She wished the glow would show up. 

Another quarter hour passed. Hermione's wand arm felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. Her shoulder burned. And her voice was nearly gone when finally, she saw a faint glow appear where the cliffs met the lake. She felt light-headed. Shit. 

_I love you, Severus_. She sent through the link. Then her eyes rolled up and she lost consciousness. 

Severus received Hermione's message and he knew at once that something was wrong. After her declaration of love, she disappeared from his mind. He turned and bolted for the back of the tower. 

" _Petrificus Totalus_!" Minerva's spell hit him in the back and knocked him off his feet. When she reached his side she cast the counter-spell. " _Rennervate_."

"Damn it, Minerva!" Snape growled as he got to his feet. "Something's happened to Hermione!"

"I figured that out. Now. We are going to walk normally over to the tower door and meet Lucius Malfoy as planned. If you didn't have the connection to her, you wouldn't know there was a problem, would you?"

"Minerva—I've lost the connection." 

"She's probably unconscious." 

"Ever since the connection manifested itself, even when she's sleeping, I was cognizant of her mind, her breathing...HER." Severus was distraught.

Minerva blanched. "Oh dear. Let's go." 

They hurried to the door of the tower and found Lucius Malfoy already there. Minerva spoke up before Snape could.

"Where's Hermione?" 

"I haven't seen her," Lucius said. 

Minerva strode away without a word and the two wizards followed. It took every bit of self-control that Snape possessed not to thrust them both aside and dash around the battlement. When they reached the other side of the tower, he spotted her crumpled figure lying unconscious on the stone and dread flowed over him like a Disillusionment Charm. Both he and Lucius broke into a run and reached Hermione together. Lucius bent and rolled her onto her back while Severus knelt and whipped out his wand in order to cast a diagnostic spell. 

"It appears that Miss Granger has pushed herself beyond her magical capacity." Snape informed the others. "Her magical energy is extremely low." He sat back on his heels. "But her life is not in danger."

"Thank heavens." Minerva murmured. "Severus, please take Miss Granger to the infirmary. Mr. Malfoy, come along with me. I'll show you to your son's room." She glanced at them both. "I will see you in my office tomorrow morning before classes begin. Mr. Malfoy, please bring Draco, by any means necessary. It's past time for a serious talk with your son." 

Severus lifted Hermione from the stone floor, Accioed her wand, and then followed Minerva and Lucius around the tower and through the door. As they trooped down the stairs, he mentally flipped through his inventory of healing potions and spells. Some of his time among the Death Eaters had been spent as their de facto healer, since no one else was capable. But he had no experience with this sort of thing, so nothing came immediately to mind. When they reached the Fourth floor corridor that led to the Hospital Wing, Severus turned in that direction while Minerva and Lucius continued down to the Slytherin dormitory's private rooms. 

Once they were out of sight, Severus turned around. He didn't think Poppy would do anything more for Hermione than he was capable of. If the young witch was in the Hospital Wing, he wouldn't have any "legitimate" reason to see her and Severus refused to be parted from her. He made his way to the secret passage down the hall that led to the dungeon. Dumbledore had shown it to him when he'd been promoted to Head of Slytherin House; it went all the way to the dungeon, with an exit on every floor. Severus had used it many times to "appear" suddenly and catch students out after curfew. 

He had never been so grateful for it. Once inside, he pulled Hermione closer, holding her securely against his chest, and navigated the stairs as quickly as he could. The loss of his mental connection with her had left a cavernous void within him that was a festering wound in his soul.

When he finally reached the dungeon level, he made his way across the corridor to the secret entrance that led to his private rooms. The wards recognized him and opened the wall immediately. Another handy addition to the castle during his time as a double agent. Severus carried Hermione through to his bedroom and laid her on the bed. He transfigured their clothing into soft pajamas and then climbed in and stretched out beside her. He propped his head on one hand and brushed her hair away from her face with the other. She was so pale and still, it terrified him. He Accioed his wand and performed the diagnostic spell again. Her vital signs were stable, which was good. Crookshanks jumped onto the bed, hopped over Snape, sniffed his mistress and then turned and butted his head against Snape's chin before padding to the foot of the bed, where he curled into a ginger ball of fur and promptly went to sleep.

The Kneazle wasn't worried, then. That was strangely comforting. And yet. When Severus tried reaching out to Hermione through their connection, he received nothing in return. His mind was his own again.

And he hated it. 


	11. After Midnight-Friday Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucius talks to Draco. Severus helps Hermione. Crookshanks helps Severus.
> 
> CW: Sexual assault/Rape.

_He is floating without a care in the world. He is dimly aware of people around him, one of whom gives him something cool to drink and helps him kneel down. They seem so nice. He is feeling wonderful._

_Until, as if he'd been soaked by a bucket of cold water, he isn't._

_He is bound. Blindfolded. Naked. Helpless. He berates himself again for learning to cast, but not to resist, the Imperious Curse._

_Fear surges through him like a geyser. He wails. The Silencing charm suppresses his scream. And then, it begins, as it always does. With the hands._

_The hands, some soft, some rough; touch him. Touch him everywhere. Everywhere. They stroke. They prod. They pinch. They slap. His consent is not solicited. Or required._

_He's been given an aphrodisia potion. It is always an aphrodisia potion. Why did he never remember? Obliviation, of course._

_Now it's the mouths. Sucking his nipples, his body, his cock. Hot breath in his ear, on his neck, his chest, his navel... raising gooseflesh. His body flames to life. His mind howls in aversion when his body responds. No, no, no, nononono..._

_There is no help for him._

_A soft, warm hand encircles his prick and strokes. Wet, warm, slick fingers slide into and out of his ass, preparing him, igniting his desire. But the warm hands are soon withdrawn and replaced by those of the Dark Lord. His arousal flees as those cold hands grip his hips and an equally cold cock pushes into him. He swears that this time, he won't react. Even if it means he will be punished with a round of Crucio—he will not take pleasure from what is being done to him. But he is not permitted even that much autonomy. A hot mouth surrounds, licks and sucks his cock and to his horror, his desire rekindles. His mind and body are Voldemort's to control. And when the Dark Lord comes, and the hot mouth around his cock wrests an orgasm from him, his face is once again soaked with his tears._

_He is the Dark Lord's plaything. He is helpless, helpless, helpless..._

"NO!" Draco sat straight up, fighting to throw off the ropes that bound him. Fighting, fighting until he had thrashed his way out of the bedclothes. His heart was pounding and he gasped for air as he looked around wildly, unseeing. As the nightmare faded, he became aware that he was not alone in the room and the panicky feeling rose within him once more.

"Lumos!" 

He wasn't sure if he was relieved or terrified by the sight before him. 

His father was sitting in a chair next to the bed, watching him. 

~~~***~~~

Lucius gazed at his beloved son, who sat amongst the rumpled bed, his eyes wide and afraid as a result of the nightmare from which he'd just awakened. As he watched Draco dash the tears from his cheeks, Lucius wished for the thousandth time that he had never become involved with Voldemort. And he wondered if the people he loved would ever be finished paying off his debt in that regard.

"Fa-Father—I'm—surprised—to see you. What are you doing here?" 

Lucius ignored the question. "Do you have nightmares often?" 

Draco tore his gaze away and pulled the blanket up to his chin and muttered. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

Lucius had a feeling that his son was Occluding as if his life depended on it. 

"Come, come, Draco." he said impatiently. "I've been here for a couple of hours. I saw what happened." 

"Nothing happened!" Draco shrieked. "Nothing!" His gaze fell onto the empty bedside table and the panicked expression returned to his face. "My wand is gone," he muttered. Then, louder: " _Accio_ wand!" 

The spell hit Lucius' Shield charm, flared bright and died. Draco's eyes were wild. " _Accio! Accio! Accio!_ " 

The Shield charm held. Lucius raised his eyebrows. 

"Give me my wand, Father!" 

"Why do you need it?" Lucius asked. "You're safe with me, here in your own room at Hogwarts Castle." 

"I was supposed to be safe at home too!" 

Lucius winced. "You're right. _Finite._ " The Shield dissipated. Lucius rose, moved over and sat on the bed. He reached into his robes, drew out Draco's wand and handed it to him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, son."

Draco squirrelled his wand away under the blanket, held loosely in his hand. Lucius noticed that the young wizard became calmer once he had it within reach. "That wasn't your fault, Father. If it hadn't been for Potter and his friends..."

"But it was," Lucius interrupted. "It was. My fault. My belief that I was better than everyone else because my family never married outside the Wizarding world led me to embrace the Dark Lord's message of blood purity. And I passed that bigotry on to you." He met his son's troubled gaze. "The fact that I was in Azkaban instead of at home during that time was the direct result of the countless mistakes I made during my life. I'm just sorry that you and your mother—among others—were the ones to pay for them. And Draco..." Lucius leaned forward, his steel-grey eyes focused on his son's watery ones and lowered his voice. "I have nightmares, too."

Draco broke eye contact, crossed his arms and scowled irritably. "I told you I don't..." 

"Oh, bollocks!" Lucius exclaimed, exasperated. "Everyone has nightmares, Draco! You. Me. Your mother. Snape. Anyone who was associated with the Dark Lord in any way. I'll wager that Potter, all of his friends and all of the teachers in this castle have them too." Lucius noticed that Draco was listening intently and continued. "The one that recurs for me most often is not being able to find you during the Battle." His voice fell to a hoarse whisper. "Those excruciating hours when I didn't know if you were dead or alive torment me..." Lucius cleared his throat. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Draco heaved a sigh and looked down at his hands. "During the summer between Fifth and Sixth year...after you were imprisoned...the Dark Lord and the others...they...they..." his eyes filled and he dashed the tears away angrily. "They tied me up and had their way with me, okay? Called what they were doing 'initiation'. It... wasn't. Initiation happens once. What they did kept happening until I returned to school."

Fury flamed through Lucius. He'd had a feeling something horrible had happened to Draco...that his son had been abused. The Dark Lord's preference for young men was known to everyone in the so-called "Inner Circle". Lucius couldn't blame Draco for being angry with him. 

"I escaped the initiation—I was too old for the Dark Lord's taste by the time I joined. But Severus...he was subjected to the same...initiation. I'd hoped..." He sighed and looked at his hands. "I'd hoped you'd be spared. I should have realized...please forgive me for not being there to protect you."

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter now." He chewed his bottom lip and peered at Lucius. "Why are you here, Father?"

"To save you."

"What are you talking about? Save me from what?"

"Yourself."

~~~***~~~

_Severus and Hermione are walking hand in hand across the castle grounds toward the Forbidden Forest. They are dressed in the clothing from the Handfasting dream. Severus is happier than he's ever been, anticipating making Hermione his wife in truth after months of hiding their relationship. When they reach the boundary of the Forest, she smiles at him and enters easily but when he tries to follow, a barrier separates them and prevents him from going in. She sees the trouble he's having, turns and tries to reach him, but she can't get back through to his side. She tries attacking the barrier with a variety of spells, to no avail. She is shouting, he can't hear what she's saying. He becomes frantic as he watches the barrier between them become opaque and she starts to fade. Before she disappears completely, she repeats the words: " Find me" until she vanishes. Severus tries blasting the barrier and when that doesn't work, resorts to pounding it with his fists as he calls out to her. Again. And again. And again. Until he is exhausted. But the barrier remains. He cannot reach her. She is gone. _

Snape's eyes snapped open. Hermione was still in his arms, warm and alive. She was either asleep or unconscious, he wasn't sure which. He glanced at the mantle clock—it was nearly four in the morning. He extracted his arm from beneath her, eased her head gently down onto the pillow, and then he rose to sit cross-legged beside her. He Accioed his wand and ran the diagnostic again. Her vital signs hadn't improved and her magical energy remained dangerously low. He closed his eyes and searched his mind. He could not detect their mental link. But Hermione's sub-conscious had reached out to his as they slept, which was both hopeful and troubling. 

Crookshanks walked over, climbed into Severus' lap and looked from him to Hermione and then back to him. Snape stroked the feline's head and scratched him behind the ears. There was nothing else for it. If the Kneazle was becoming worried, Snape had to do something.

He rolled his wand between his fingers, closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. He systematically cleared his mind, and then he examined his feelings. 

The time he'd spent with Hermione during the past week had been the happiest he could remember. Even happier than when he was a child and hanging around with Lily. He had smiled more and laughed more and been more relaxed than he'd ever been. When Hermione was with him, he was...well, as trite as it sounded, _content_ was the only way to describe it. Then he tried to imagine his life without her, and a wave of grief engulfed him until he was drowning in sadness. He opened his eyes and gazed at the witch in his bed.

"I love you, Hermione," he murmured. Saying the words out loud didn't terrify him the way the thought had a couple of days ago. Had it taken almost losing her for him to acknowledge what his heart had already figured out? 

"Snape, you've been a bloody fool." 

"Mrrow."

Severus looked down at Crookshanks. The half-Kneazle was peering up at him. "Yes, yes. Of course, you knew it all along." Crookshanks butted his head against Snape's chin, settled down into his lap, and began to purr. Snape turned his attention back to the problem at hand. He could use the _Eliciunt Vita Magicae_ spell to transfer some of his magical energy to her. Roughly translated as "Extract Life Magic", it was a Dark spell that was once used to drain people of their magical energy for nefarious purposes. It could also be used to transfer magical energy from one person to another. That would solve one problem. 

But, could he re-establish their mental link? 

He didn't understand how had it happened in the first place. From his observations, Draco didn't have that kind of connection to Iris or Pansy. Before he could figure out a solution he had to know what had caused it. Snape cast his mind back to the previous Saturday—the day it all began. 

Apparating into the room and finding them all there—Draco poised with one knee on the bed to which Hermione was tied. Sending the young wizard and the other two witches packing and only then realizing it would be up to him to help Hermione. Surrendering to the inevitability of the situation, to making it as good for her as he could, and then when he felt his orgasm cresting—

Snape's eyes widened. He had triggered Legilimency a moment before the binding spell activated, knowing from experience that the joining of their minds would enhance the experience for them both. Had the binding potion bound their minds together too? If he reached out to her that way again—would their minds reconnect? Perhaps. But should he? 

Severus held his wand loosely in his hands as he sat in an agony of indecision. Ever since their binding, he had been the one who had been wittering on about the mental link and how much it was influencing their feelings. How could he make this important decision without Hermione's consent? The first time, it had been a means to enhance the pleasure of their lovemaking. If he did it again—it would be deliberate. What right did he have to make that choice for her?

 _Find me._

Hermione's plea, which had jolted him from sleep, flashed through his mind once more. All week long, she had dreaded the eventual loss of the link—which they had both assumed would happen once they took the antidote to Draco's potion. She had agreed to give it up in order to prove to him that what they were feeling was more than just the pull of the binding spell. And she was right. 

Severus gripped his wand, closed his eyes, focused his newly realized feelings for Hermione, and then reached out with his mind.

"Legilimens." 

_He was in a fog so dense his eyes were useless. He tried a wandless spell "Lumos" but it didn't manifest—it was as if he had no magic at all. He reached out with his mind._

_'Hermione?"_

_The fog seemed to ease slightly to his right, so Severus turned in that direction. He thought he was walking, but he could be flying—it was difficult to tell. He was most definitely moving, and the fog seemed to be lightening as he went along, which was encouraging._

_'Hermione, please help me find you.'_

_The fog was definitely lifting in the direction he was moving. As it did, he realized that he was passing through Hermione's memories._

_The first Potions class of the year. A thrill goes through her when he sweeps into the room. She is happy that he is alive and well and teaching again. She is also glad that she was right about his allegiance during the War._  
_Homework and classes and reading and friends. The Hogsmeade weekend. Being drugged then waking to a nightmare. Restrained. Assaulted. Her body ignites into irrepressible desire as her mind looks on in horror. A crack of Apparition prevents rape. My what a nice body you have, Professor. Frantic coupling. Their minds join. The bond forms._  
_And on and on. Informing Minerva. Confronting Draco. Helping Iris and Pansy. Finding him drunk in his room. Their first glorious night together. Being confronted by Potter. As problems unique to their situation arise, finding solutions just as unique._  
_Beginning with the memory of finding him drunk, each image is surrounded by an aura of gold and green and violet. Faint at first then becoming brighter, more vibrant with each memory. He is startled when he realizes it's a manifestation of her love. The aura curls around him and guides him until he finds her standing in a sun-speckled clearing, surrounded by trees that are arrayed in their multi-hued autumn attire. The canopy rises above, arching over the space like a leafy, wooden flying buttress. It is the personification of her Handfasting dream and she is wearing the same beautiful gown. He goes to her and takes her hands. She looks up at him solemnly._  
_"I love you, Hermione."_  
_Her face breaks into a beautiful smile, she fairly glows with pleasure. "I know. I've known for ages, I'm glad you finally trust it—and me. I love you, too." She pauses. "Where are we?"_  
_"Inside of your mind."_  
_"Oh dear. Am I dead?"_  
_"No. But you are very weak. I intend to give you some of my magical energy."_  
_"Is that dangerous to you?"_  
_"Perhaps. I'll be using an old, Dark spell that I've never performed. But it's the only way I can think of to help you get back."_  
_"Will we still have our mental link?"_  
_"I think so. Is that acceptable to you?"_  
_"Oh, Severus, yes. I never want to lose that connection with you."_  
_"I had to make sure. Hermione—I have to leave you now. But soon we will be together in the conscious world once again."_  
_She looks at him with her beautiful brown eyes. "I trust you, Severus."_

Snape withdrew from her mind and when he looked down at her face, a small smile ghosted across her lips.

~~~***~~~

"What do you mean, Father?"

Lucius didn't miss his son's hand tightening around his wand. He raised an eyebrow. 

"I know everything, son. The illegal potions, the kidnapping, the assaults. The rapes. I know about it all."

Draco pointed his wand. "Cru—" 

" _Expelliarmus!_ " Lucius deftly caught his son's wand and cocked his head at him. "Yes, I know about the Unforgivables, too. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Confu—"

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " The blond wizard watched as his son's arms and legs snapped together and his body became rigid. "My dear boy, I was dealing with the Dark Lord and his insane minions before you were born. My reflexes haven't slowed just because I'm a bit older." He sighed. "I had hoped that you would be reasonable. I see that I was mistaken. Let me explain to you what is going to happen later today. All of this—everything you've been doing—stops. We will be meeting with the Headmistress. You will agree to her suggestions tomorrow morning or you will find yourself in Azkaban by afternoon. There is no third way."

~~~***~~~

Severus summoned his 11th century copy of _Seissin d'âme_. Written in the Norman days, he figured that a book titled "Possession of the Soul" would have the spell he was looking for. When he caught it, Crookshanks sneezed. Snape vanished the dust from the cover before he opened it. After a brief search, he found the spell he was looking for. He read the incantation and practiced the wand movements until he had committed it all to memory.

"Crookshanks, old man, please remove yourself from my lap." 

The Kneazle rose, walked to the edge of the bed beside Snape, sat down and wrapped his tail around his feet. Snape positioned himself on the bed so that his back was supported by the headboard. Once he was comfortable, he levitated Hermione into his lap with her head against his shoulder. Then he lifted his wand. He paused and looked into Crookshanks' yellow eyes.

"If this goes wrong, get help fast." 

"Mrrow." Crookshanks moved a bit closer and cocked his head, watching intently. 

"Thank you." Snape cleared his mind and chanted the incantation. " _Magicae Recedere_." It roughly translated to 'Withdraw Magic', and as he circled his wand over his heart, a golden light appeared on the tip. Using the complex wand movement he had practiced, he shaped and stretched it as it manifested from his chest. He directed the strand toward Hermione and, in another intricate pattern, whipped his wand away.

The filament detached from the end of his wand. It floated, looking for all the world as if it was searching for something. As it drifted down, it was drawn to Hermione. Once it landed on her it burrowed into her heart, eliciting a small gasp. Snape continued to intone the incantation as he watched his magical energy leave his body through the strand of light and flow into Hermione's. After several minutes, he laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. 

More time passed. Severus had lost track. He began to feel light-headed. _Have I given her enough?_ He wondered. _Better keep going, just in case._

The moment he had that thought, Crookshanks pounced. He landed with a thump on Snape's chest, knocking his wand from his hand and breaking the spell. The Kneazle then lay down on top of Snape, as close to Hermione as he could get, and began to purr. 

Hermione stirred. She lifted a hand and stroked her animal companion. "Sev'rus?" She murmured sleepily. 

"Right here." He tightened his arms around them both.

"I love you, Sev'rus. An' I'm gon' say it out loud to you." 

He cupped her chin and tipped her face up so that he could look into her eyes. "I'm going to say it out loud as well." His mouth quirked up on one side. "In private for now. I love you, too, Hermione." He lowered his head and captured her lips in a soft kiss and reached out with his mind using Legilimency.

When his mind connected to hers, the magic flared between them and the mental link roared to life. 

"You did it. I knew you would." Hermione sighed softly. 

Severus was so full of emotion he couldn't speak. He tightened his embrace and kissed her forehead. Then he laid his cheek on top of her head, closed his eyes, and rejoiced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks and warm, wet snogs to Shiv5468 for their help with the title of Snape's 11th century book.


End file.
